DEC'-.v'  1  ti3 


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i^f^T"!  S^^l^ 


THE   SHORT   COURSE   SERIES 


IN  THE  UPPER  ROOM 


GENERAL     PREFACE 


The  title  of  the  present  series  is  a  sufficient 
indication  of  its  purpose.  Few  preachers, 
or  congregations,  will  face  the  long  courses 
of  expository  lectures  which  characterised 
the  preaching  of  the  past,  but  there  is  a 
growing  conviction  on  the  part  of  some 
that  an  occasional  short  course,  of  six  or 
eight  connected  studies  on  one  definite 
theme,  is  a  necessity  of  their  mental  and 
ministerial  life.  It  is  at  this  point  the  pro- 
jected series  would  strike  in.  It  would 
suggest  to  those  who  are  mapping  out  a 
scheme  of  work  for  the  future  a  variety  of 
subjects  which  might  possibly  be  utilised  in 
this  way. 

The  appeal,  however,  will  not  be  restricted 
to    ministers    or     preachers.     The     various 
volumes  will  meet  the  needs  of  laymen  and 
ii 


General  Preface 

Sabbath-school  teachers  who  are  interested 
in  a  scholarly  but  also  practical  exposition 
of  Bible  history  and  doctrine.  In  the  hands 
of  office-bearers  and  mission-workers  the 
"  Short  Course  Series  "  may  easily  become 
one  of  the  most  convenient  and  valuable 
of  Bible  helps. 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  while  an 
effort  has  been  made  to  secure,  as  far  as 
possible,  a  general  uniformity  in  the  scope 
and  character  of  the  series,  the  final  re- 
sponsibility for  the  special  interpretations 
and  opinions  introduced  into  the  separate 
volumes,  rests  entirely  with  the  individual 
contributors. 

A  detailed  list  of  the  authors  and  their 
subjects  will  be  found  at  the  close  of  each 
volume. 


m 


Volumes  Already  Published 

A  Cry  for  Justice:  A  Study  in  Amos. 

By  Prof.  John  E.  McFadyen,  D.D. 

The  Beatitudes. 

Rev.  Robert  H.  Fisher,  D.D. 

The  Lenten  Psalms. 
By  the  Editor. 

The  Psahn  of  Psalms. 

By  Prof.  James  Stalker,  D.D. 

The  Song  and  the  Soil. 

By  Prof.  W.  G.  Jordan,  D.D. 

The  Higher  Powers  of  the  Soul. 

By  Rev.  George  M'Hardy,  D.D. 

Jehovah-Jesus. 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Whitelaw,  D.D. 

The  Sevenfold  I  Am, 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Marjoribanks,  B.D. 

The  Man  Among  the  Myrtles. 
By  the  Editor. 

The  Story  of  Joseph. 

By  Rev.  Adam  C.  Welch,  B.D.,  Th.D. 

The  Divine  Drama  of  Job. 

By  Rev.  Charles  F.  Aked,  D.D. 

A  Mirror  of  the  Soul:  Studies  in  the  Psalter. 
By  Rev.  Canon  Vaughan,  M.A. 

In  the  Upper  Room. 

By  Rev.  D.  J.  Burrill,  D.D.,  LL.D. 


Price  6o  cents  net  per  Volume 


Zht  Sbort  Course  Serteg  [      pgC  23  1913 

EDITED   BY  >w^'/*  \^)f^ 

Rev.  JOHN  ADAMS,  B.D.  ^^>2?_'^riCAl  ^^^^ 


IN  THE  UPPER  ROOM 

A   PRACTICAL   EXPOSITION    OF 
JOHN   XIII.-XVII. 

(WITH   RELATED   PASSAGES) 


BY 

DAVID  JAMES   BURRELL 

D.D.,  LL.D. 

author  of 
'the  spirit  of  thb  age"  "the  religions  of  the  world' 

« THB  SERMON  .'  ITS  CONSTRUCTION  AND  DELIVEBY "  ETC. 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


CONTENTS 


FACE 

I.  The  Guest-Chamber  .  •  .       i 


II.  The  Assembling  of  the  Church 

III.  The  Significance  of  the  Foot- Washing 

IV.  The  Triune  God     . 
V.  The  Christian 

VI.  The  Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

VII.  The  Parousia 

VIII.  The  Sacerdotal  Prayer  . 
IX.  The  Closing  Hymn 

Appendix       .... 
Index  .         •  •  •         • 


15 

27 
53 
71 
87 
103 

"5 

^33 
141 
145 


VU 


"As  we  read  the  records  of  the  great  and  good,  we 

cannot  help  sometimes  wishing  it  had  been  our  lot  to 

follow  Plato  in  his  garden,  or  to  hear  the  table-talk  of 

Luther,  or  to  sit  with  Bunyan  in  the  sunshine  of  the 

streets  of  Bedford,  or  to  listen  to  Coleridge  bodying  forth 

the  golden  clouds  of  his  philosophy.     But  what  would 

any  such  privilege  have  been  in  comparison  with  that  of 

Mary  who  sat  at  Jesus*  feet  and  heard  His  words;  or 

that  of  John,  who  leant  on  His  bosom  and  listened  to  the 

beating  of  His  heart.'* 

Imago  Christu 


I. 

THE  GUEST-CHAMBER. 

(Mark  xiv.  12-16.) 

At  length  the  hour  for  which  the  whole 
creation  had  been  groaning  and  travailing 
had  arrived.  The  hands  on  God's  dial  were 
pointing  to  the  fulness  of  time.  And  Jesus 
said,  "The  hour  is  come." 

The  hour  had  come  to  fulfil  Messianic 
prophecy  by  filling  full  the  long-cherished 
"hope  of  Israel"  and  revealing  the  mystery 
of  salvation  which,  having  been  "hid  from 
the  beginning,"  was  now  to  be  made  known 
in  the  manifold  wisdom  of  God.  The  hour 
had  come  to  make  an  end  of  the  old  economy 
— which  was  but  "  a  shadow  of  good  things 
to  come  " — and  usher  in  the  gospel,  in  which 
the  entire  "  handwriting  of  ordinances  "  was 
I 


In  the  Upper  Room 

to  be  blotted  out.  The  hour  had  come  for 
the  Master  to  keep  His  last  Passover  with  His 
disciples.  It  was  now  Thursday,  known  as 
the  Paraskeue  or  "  day  of  preparation,"  and 
the  feast  was  set  for  to-morrow  evening  ;  but 
it  must  be  kept  by  anticipation,  if  at  all, 
because  to-morrow  Jesus  would  not  be  here. 
The  Lamb  of  God  was  about  to  be  offered 
as  a  sacrifice  for  the  world's  sin.  The  hour 
had  come  to  assemble  "the  remnant  of 
Israel "  for  reorganisation  in  the  larger 
form  of  the  Christian  Church ;  and  in 
this  assemblage  great  forces  were  to  be 
set  in  motion,  which  should  ultimately, 
despite  all  opposition,  bring  in  the  Golden 
Age. 

All  this  and  more  was  in  the  mind  of 
Jesus  when  He  said  to  Peter  and  John,  "  Go 
into  the  city  ;  and  there  shall  meet  you  a 
man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water.  Follow 
him  ;  and  wheresoever  he  shall  enter  in,  say 
to  the  goodman  of  the  house.  The  Master 
saith.  Where  is  my  guest-chamber  where  I 
shall  eat  the  Passover  with  my  disciples  ? 
And  he  will  himself  show  you  a  large  upper 


The  Guest-Chamber 

room    furnished   and    ready.      There   make 
ready  for  it." 

I.  The  Outriders  of  the  King 

The  four  men  here  mentioned  were  ap- 
pointed as  outriders  or  pursuivants  of  the 
King  to  prepare  the  way  before  Him.  The 
campaign  of  the  centuries  was  about  to  be 
inaugurated,  and  the  Master  began  with  these 
men.  They  were  the  vanguard  of  a  great 
multitude  whom  no  man  can  number,  com- 
missioned to  go  forth  to  the  conquest  of  the 
world.  In  the  logic  of  events  they  must  be 
multiplied  along  the  centuries  until,  at  length, 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth 
as  the  waters  cover  the  sea. 

Two  of  these  outriders  are  Peter  and 
John ;  who,  being  representatives  of  the 
apostolate,  properly  lead  the  way.  As  life- 
long friends  they  go  arm  in  arm.  Thus  it 
is  written,  "Two  are  better  than  one  ;  for  if 
one  fall  the  other  will  lift  him  up." 

In  their  boyhood  they  had  played  together 
by  the  shore  of  the  Galilean  sea.  As  fisher- 
3 


In  the  Upper  Room 

men  they  had  helped  each  other  to  let 
down  their  nets  and  to  carry  their  catch  to 
the  fish-market  in  Capernaum.  They  were 
as  different  as  different  could  be.  John 
was  like  light  and  Peter  was  like  heat ;  but 
light  and  heat  were  here  united  in  a  single 
flame. 

The  strongest  bond  of  their  fellowship  was 
their  mutual  devotion  to  Christ.  He  had 
met  them  at  the  seashore  when  they  were 
mending  their  nets  and  had  said,  "Follow 
me."  This  was  their  call  not  merely  to  the 
Christian  life,  but  to  the  apostolic  office. 
They  were  summoned  from  all  secular  pur- 
suits into  the  exclusive  service  of  Christ ; 
wherefore,  they  arose  and  left  their  boats  and 
nets  to  follow  Him.  They  were  no  longer 
fishermen,  but  "  fishers  of  men." 

In  this  they  stand  as  representatives  of  the 
ministry  through  all  succeeding  ages  ;  that 
is,  of  such  as  have  turned  their  backs  on 
common  pursuits  to  declare  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  Who  shall  number  them 
now  ?  They  are  sounding  the  Lord's  trum- 
pet in  the  pulpits  of  the  world.  They  are 
4 


The  Guest-Chamber 

traversing  plains  and  climbing  mountains, 
crossing  seas  and  fording  rivers  to  carry  the 
gospel  of  light  and  life  to  those  who  dwell  in 
regions  of  darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death. 

"How  beauteous  are  their  feet 

Who  stand  on  Zion's  hill; 
Who  bring  salvation  on  their  tongues 

And  words  of  peace  reveal. 
The  watchmen  join  their  voice, 

And  tuneful  notes  employ; 
Jerusalem  breaks  forth  in  songs, 

And  deserts  learn  the  joy." 

The  third  of  the  outriders  is  "  the  good- 
man  of  the  house,"  and  he  has  his  place  as 
really  as  the  apostles  in  the  mighty  plan. 

It  would  appear  that  he  was  a  man  of 
wealth  and  social  position.  His  home  was 
of  such  dimensions  as  to  afFord  a  large  guest- 
chamber  ;  furthermore,  he  had  servants  in 
his  employ. 

He  was  obviously  a  believer  in  Christ. 
His  name  is  not  recorded,  possibly  for 
prudential  reasons.  He  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  many  who  at  that  time  accepted 
Christ  without  openly  confessing  Him.  This 
5 


In  the   Upper  Room 

is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  his  house  was 
so  readily  placed  at  the  Master's  command. 
Consecration  is  the  touchstone  of  disciple- 
ship.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  holds  all 
his  possessions  for  Christ.  Discipleship  is 
stewardship.  Our  time  and  treasure  are 
held  in  trust.  It  is  enough  for  a  true 
Christian  when  the  word  comes,  "The 
Master  hath  need."  Happy  is  he  whose 
home  has  ever  a  room  which  Christ  may  call 
"  my  guest-chamber."  Nay  rather,  happy 
is  he  in  whose  heart  and  home  alike  there 
is  no  smallest  room  which  is  not  wholly 
Christ's.  The  home  becomes  a  vestibule  of 
heaven  when  the  Saviour  stands  in  its  door- 
way saying,  "  Peace  be  within  this  house." 

So  this  goodman  stands  for  that  splendid 
company  of  influential  laymen  who  hold 
themselves  and  their  possessions  subject  to 
the  order  of  Christ.  Whatever  may  be  said 
of  the  shrivelling  power  of  wealth,  we  know 
there  are  many  such  "  goodmen  "  who  lend 
themselves  to  the  blessed  work.  The  great 
enterprises  of  the  Church  to-day  are  largely 
indebted  to  such  as  count  their  wealth  by 
6 


The  Guest-Chamber 

millions.  Because  they  reckon  their  talents 
in  terms  of  stewardship  they  shall  not  fail  of 
the  Master's  commendation,  "Well  done, 
good  servant." 

The  fourth  of  the  outriders  is  the  man 
with  the  pitcher  of  water.  "What  of  him  ? 
He  was  a  mere  nobody.  Yet  he  also  was 
included  in  the  mighty  plan.  God  has  a 
place  for  the  nameless  ones. 

He  was  engaged  in  a  menial  task  ;  indeed, 
he  was  doing  a  woman's  work,  bearing  a 
pitcher  from  the  well.  But  what  matter, 
if  he  was  carrying  that  pitcher  in  the  line 
of  duty  ? 

"A  servant  with  that  clause 
Makes  drudgery  divine  ; 
Who  sweeps  a  room  as  to  God's  laws 
Makes  that  and  the  action  fine.'* 

It  would  probably  have  surprised  this 
inconspicuous  man,  a  mere  plebeian,  had  he 
been  informed  that  he  was  exerting  an 
influence  for  good.  He  little  dreamed, 
when  he  heard  footsteps  behind  him,  that 
not  only  Peter  and  John,  but  the  whole 
7 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Christian  Church  was  really  following  in  his 
steps.  How  far  his  little  candle  throws  its 
beams  ! 

This  man  with  the  pitcher  stands  for  the 
countless  rank  and  file  of  humble  believers 
who  are  rarely  in  the  limelight.  Their 
names  are  not  heard  in  public  places.  They 
serve  in  remote  corners  and  within  narrow 
limitations.  There  are  no  trumpet  blasts 
or  waving  plumes  in  the  campaign  of  their 
lives.  They  modestly  use  their  single  talent 
for  the  glory  of  their  Lord,  and  hope  for 
nothing  beyond  His  praise  ;  "  They  have  done 
what  they  could."  Of  such  is  the  strength 
of  the  Christian  Church  to-day.  Not  fame 
but  faithfulness  is  what  the  Master  requires 
of  us. 

**  Jesus  bids  us  shine  with  a  clear,  pure  light, 
Like  a  little  candle  burning  in  the  night : 
In  the  world  is  darkness  ;  so  we  must  shine, 
You  in  your  small  corner,  and  I  in  mine." 

The    outstanding   fact    is    this :    the   true 
measure  of  life  is  always  found  in  our  relation 
to   Christ,     The  only   claim   to   immortality 
8 


The  Guest-Chamber 

on  the  part  of  the  two  apostles,  the  goodman 
of  the  house,  and  the  man  with  the  pitcher, 
is  based  upon  the  fact  that  they  were  all, 
consciously  or  unconsciously,  serving  Him. 
His  service  overshadows  all.  It  is  only  as 
we  find  and  fill  our  appointed  places  in  His 
mighty  plan  that  we  win  success  in  this 
present  life  and  qualify  ourselves  by  faithful 
apprenticeship  for  the  higher  tasks  of  Heaven 
awaiting  us. 

I  see  these  men  climbing  the  outer  stairway 
to  the  upper  room.  The  door  closes  ;  great 
things  will  presently  be  doing  there.  The 
Church  will  gather  about  a  table,  with  the 
Master  in  the  midst,  and  partake  of  a  feast 
of  fat  things  and  wine  upon  the  lees.  He 
will  confer  with  them  in  the  secret  place 
of  His  pavilion,  and  His  banner  over  them 
will  be  love. 

2.  The  Transforming  of  the  Feast 
(Luke  xxii.  14-18). 

The    scene    in    the    upper    room    comes 
vividly    before    us.     The    Lord,   whose    re- 
lation  to    the   Twelve   was   like   that   of  a 
9 


In  the   Upper  Room 

father  In  his  household,  arose  at  the  head 
of  the  table  and,  according  to  custom, 
recounted  the  incidents  of  the  memorable 
night  when  Israel  was  delivered  out  o 
bondage.  Would  that  we  might  have  heard 
the  tragic  story  as  it  fell  from  His  lips  :  the 
gathering  of  the  households,  the  sprinkling 
of  the  blood,  the  awaiting  of  the  signal  with 
loins  girt  and  staves  in  hand,  the  cry  at 
midnight  from  homes  bereaved,  a  deep 
crescendo  of  mothers'  woe — and  then  the 
going  forth. 

The  story  was  probably  followed  by  the 
singing  of  one  of  the  Hallel  psalms.  For 
the  Passover  was  not  only  a  memorial ;  it 
was  also  a  Eucharist  or  thanksgiving  feast. 
Could  the  Jews  ever  forget  how  the  angel 
of  destruction  had  "  passed  over "  their 
homes  on  that  eventful  night  ?  Let  them 
lift  the  song  therefore  :  "  Oh,  that  men 
would  praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness  and 
for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  children 
of  men  1  " 

But  the  Passover  was  more  than  a  Euchar- 
ist ;  it  was  also  a  Sacrament.     The  word  is 

lO 


The  Guest-Chamber 

derived  from  sacramentum^  meaning  an  oath 
of  allegiance,  such  as  was  taken  by  Roman 
soldiers  on  the  eve  of  battle.  The  Jews 
were  expected  at  this  feast  to  renew  their 
covenant  with  God.  The  terms  of  that 
covenant  are  recorded  in  connection  with 
the  first  celebration  of  the  Passover  at  Sinai  : 
"  If  ye  will  obey  my  voice,  indeed,  and  keep 
my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar 
treasure  unto  me."  And  the  people 
answered  with  one  accord,  "All  that  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  will  we  do"  (Ex.  xix. 
1-8  ;  see  also  Ex.  xxiv.  7,  8,  and  xxxiv. 
1-28).  This  covenant  was  renewed  in  the 
upper  room.  The  disciples  were  thus  re- 
minded of  the  obligations  which  rested  upon 
them  as  believers  in  the  true  God. 

But  the  Passover  was  more  than  a 
Memorial,  a  Eucharist  and  a  Sacrament ; 
it  was  a  Communion.  At  this  feast  the 
tribal  banners  were  laid  aside,  and  all  united 
in  celebrating  their  oneness  as  the  Chosen 
People,  knit  together  by  a  common  faith 
and  a  common  hope. 

This  was  destined  to  be  the  last  Passover 
II 


In  the   Upper  Room 

that  would  be  lawfully  kept  in  Israel  or  ever 
in  this  world  of  ours.  A  new  feast  was  now 
to  supplant  it.  The  Passover  must  go ; 
because  the  whole  ceremonial  system  was 
about  to  be  nailed  to  the  Cross  and  taken 
out  of  the  way.  It  had  but  one  purpose, 
namely,  to  keep  alive  the  Messianic  hope. 
Its  mission  was  now  accomplished  ;  and  it 
was  to  disappear  as  shadows  vanish  at  the 
rising  of  the  sun. 

It  is  written  accordingly  that  "  after  the 
supper  "  Jesus  took  bread  and,  when  He  had 
given  thanks,  He  brake  it  and  gave  to  His 
disciples  saying,  "  This  is  my  body  which  is 
given  for  you  :  this  do  in  remembrance  of 
me."  And  He  took  the  cup  in  like  manner 
saying,  "This  cup  is  the  new  covenant  in 
my  blood,  even  that  which  is  poured  out  for 
you"  (Luke  xxii.  19,  20). 

In  the  Lord*s  Supper  thus  instituted  we 
have  the  Passover  merged,  transformed  and 
reduced  to  its  simplest  terms.  Observe  the 
close  correspondence. 

The  Lord's  Supper,  like  the  Passover, 
was  a  Memorial.  "  Do  this  in  remembrance 
12 


The  Guest-Chamber 

of  me."  "  For  as  oft  as  ye  do  this,  ye  do 
show  the  Lord's  death  until  he  come." 
Thus  the  Cross  threw  its  shadow  over  the 
feast.  The  paschal  lamb  was  a  prophecy  of 
"  the  Lamb  of  God  slain  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world  "  ;  as  Paul  says,  "  Christ  our 
passover  is  sacrificed  for  us  "  (i  Cor.  v.  7). 

It  is  also  a  Eucharist.  At  the  Lord's 
table  we  rejoice  in  Him  who  by  His  atoning 
sacrifice  has  blotted  out  our  sins.  There  is 
no  Hallel  like  ours  :  "  This  poor  man  cried, 
and  the  Lord  heard  and  saved  him  out  of  all 
his  trouble.  Oh,  that  men  would  praise  the 
Lord  for  his  goodness  and  for  his  wonderful 
works  to  the  children  of  men  1  " 

It  is  also  a  Sacrament ;  in  which  we  renew 
our  covenant  vows.  "  Ye  are  bought  with  a 
price,"  says  Paul,- "  therefore  glorify  God  in 
your  body  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are  God's  " 
(i  Cor.  vi.  20).  The  price  of  our  ransom  is 
designated  by  Peter  where  he  says  :  "  Ye 
were  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things, 
as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish 
and  without  spot  "  (i  Pet.  i.  18). 
13 


In  the  Upper  Room 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  also  a  Communion. 
"One  family  we  dwell  in  him."  We  are 
akin  with  all  those,  of  every  name  through- 
out the  world,  who  receive  Christ  as  their 
Saviour.  In  Him  we  are  united  not  only 
with  all  the  living  members  of  the  family  of 
Christ,  but  with  the  innumerable  company 
that  have  gone  on  before  us. 

"One  family  we  dwell  in  Him: 
One  Church  above,  beneath  ; 
Though  now  divided  by  the  stream, 
The  narrow  stream  of  Death." 

In  addition  to  all  this,  the  Lord's  Supper 
is  profitable  as  a  foreshadowing  of  the  great 
marriage  feast  at  which  the  nuptials  of  Christ 
and  His  Church  are  finally  to  be  sealed.  In 
that  day  the  bride  shall  present  herself 
"  without  spot  or  blemish  or  any  such 
thing  *'  ;  and  a  feast  of  fat  things  shall  be 
spread  before  the  guests.  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  are  called  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the 
Lamb  !  "  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  men, 
the  things  which  God  hath  prepared  for  them 
that  love  Him  !  " 

14 


11. 


THE   ASSEMBLING   OF   THE 
CHURCH. 

(Mark  xiv.  17.) 

In  the  twilight  of  the  evening  the  little 
company  climbed  the  outer  stairway  into  the 
upper  room.  Let  us  enter  and  look  about  us. 
We  have  read  of  Councils  of  War  and 
Councils  of  Peace,  of  political  conclaves  and 
conferences  of  the  Great  Powers  ;  but  the 
world  has  never  seen  an  assembly  like  this. 
How  simply  the  record  runs  :  "  In  the  even- 
ing he  cometh  with  the  twelve."  There  is 
no  blare  of  trumpets  nor  waving  of  banners. 
The  Man  of  Nazareth  enters  with  His  modest 
retinue.  Why  are  they  here  ?  Is  it  merely 
to  keep  the  Passover  ?  Is  it  only  for  the 
last  farewell  ^  Oh,  no ;  it  means  vastly 
more.  Our  Lord  has  a  great  purpose  in 
15 


In  the  Upper  Room 

mind  :  no  less  than  to  marshal  and  mobilise 
His  Church  for  the  campaign  of  the  ages. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  disciples  had  no 
thought  of  the  tremendous  issues  which  were 
destined  to  go  forth  from  that  meeting.  We 
are  accustomed  to  regard  it  as  a  mere  inci- 
dent in  the  Gospel  story  :  but  behind  the 
closed  doors  of  that  guest-chamber  a  work 
was  begun  which  was  destined  ultimately  to 
restore  the  ruined  race  to  God. 

The  Church  is  the  greatest  organisation 
on  earth.  All  other  guilds,  fraternities, 
leagues,  federations,  governments  and  politi- 
cal alliances  combined,  are  not  to  be  compared 
with  it.  This  is  the  great  living  organism 
through  which  God  is  working,  by  the  power 
of  His  Spirit,  for  the  establishment  of  His 
kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness  in  this 
world  of  ours. 

It  is  significant  that  the  Christian  Church 
should  have  had  its  beginning  here  in  the 
goodman's  house.  The  domestic  ideal  is 
observed.  The  primal  Church  was  in  the 
house  of  Adam  and  Eve,  having  its  franchise 
in  the  prophecy  of"  the  seed  of  the  woman  " 
i6 


The  Assembling  of  the   Church 

who  was  to  "bruise  the  serpent's  head." 
Then  came  the  Church  in  the  house  of  Noah, 
who  "builded  an  altar  unto  the  Lord  and 
offered  burnt-offerings  upon  it" — an  altar 
spanned  by  a  rainbow  arch  of  Messianic 
hope.  Then  the  Church  in  the  house  of 
Abraham,  who  saw  Christ  afar  off"  "and  was 
glad."  Then  the  Church  in  the  house  of 
Moses,  and  the  Church  in  the  house  of 
David,  and  thus  along  the  ages.  It  was 
meet,  therefore,  that  the  reorganised  Church 
should  meet  as  a  home  circle  with  the  shadow 
of  the  Cross  over  it.  For  the  tie  that  binds 
our  hearts  in  Christian  love  is  a  family  tie. 
God  is  our  Father  ;  and  Christ,  "  the  first- 
born among  many  brethren,"  is  elder  Brother 
of  us  all.  "  For  this  cause,"  says  Paul,  "  I 
bow  my  knees  unto  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  of  whom  the  whole  family  in 
heaven  and  earth  is  named." 

It  may  not  be  unprofitable  in  this  connec- 
tion to  correct  some  of  the  prevalent  mistakes 
with  reference  to  the  Church. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the  Church 
thus  instituted  by  Christ  was  a  new  Church. 
B  17 


In  the  Upper  Room 

The  Church  of  ancient  Israel  was  a 
Christian  Church.  It  had  no  reason  for 
existence  except  in  its  loyalty  to  the  expected 
Christ.  Adam  was  a  Christian ;  Abraham 
was  a  Christian ;  Moses  was  a  Christian ; 
David  was  a  Christian  ;  all  true  Jews  were 
Christians,  because  they  cherished  the  Hope 
of  Israel  and  were  saved  by  faith  in  Christ, 
precisely  as  believers  are  saved  in  these  days. 

The  Jews  were  "  chosen  "  to  transmit  the 
Messianic  hope  to  succeeding  ages.  In  the 
course  of  time,  however,  the  great  multitude, 
while  keeping  up  the  outward  forms  of 
devotion,  so  far  lost  the  true  conception  of 
their  Messiah  that  when  He  came  they  were 
ready  to  put  Him  to  an  ignominious  death. 
But  there  was  always  "  a  remnant "  that 
continued  to  cherish  the  Hope.  This 
remnant  was  represented  by  the  little  company 
of  believers  in  the  goodman's  house.  The 
purpose  of  Christ  was  now  to  reorganise  and 
reanimate  this  remnant  as  the  true  Israel  of 
God,  He  originated  nothing  on  this  occa- 
sion. The  Christ  who  presided  over  this 
assembly  was  the  Messiah  of  the  Jews.  No 
i8 


The  Assembling  of  the  Church 

new  creed  was  formulated,  no  new  code  of 
ethics  ;  no  new  plan  of  salvation  ;  nothing 
new.  It  was  a  revival  of  Judaism  pure  and 
simple ;  a  renaissance  of  the  Church  as 
originally  constituted,  the  Church  of  Messiah, 
the  only-begotten  Son  of  God. 

It  is  also  a  mistake  to  regard  this  Christian 
Church  as  an  exclusive  Church. 

The  Jews  had  been  "separated"  as  a 
peculiar  people.  Their  Church  was  ethnic, 
or  national,  in  the  necessity  of  the  case. 
They  were  entrusted  with  the  Oracles,  in 
which  were  crystallised  the  prophecies  of 
Christ,  and  were  enjoined  to  pass  them  on 
along  the  centuries  until  He  should  appear. 
But  they  construed  this  to  mean  that  they 
had  a  monopoly  of  salvation.  They  became 
a  close  corporation,  accordingly,  closing  the 
doors  against  all  comers,  and  saying,  "The 
temple  of  the  Lord  are  we." 

In  the  goodman's  house  the  doors  are 
thrown  open.  The  arms  of  Christ  are 
stretched  out  in  invitation  to  all  sinners 
desiring  to  know  the  way  of  eternal  life. 
We  shall  presently  see  a  polyglot  assemblage 
19 


In  the  Upper  Room 

at  a  Pentecostal  feast,  where  the  spokesman 
of  the  Church  exhorts  Parthians,  Medes 
and  Elamites  and  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia, 
Phrygians  and  Pamphylians,  Jews  and  prose- 
lytes, Cretans  and  Arabians,  to  repent  and  be 
baptized  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  unto 
the  remission  of  sins  ;  "  for  to  you  is  the 
promise,  and  to  your  children  and  to  all  that 
are  afar  off;  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our 
God  shall  call  unto  him." 

It  is  a  further  mistake  to  regard  this 
Church  as  a  sacerdotal  Church, 

In  the  worship  of  Israel  "the  service" 
was  the  great  thing.  At  the  very  hour  when 
the  disciples  were  assembled  in  the  upper 
room  the  rabbis  were  worshipping  in  the 
temple  near  by  with  great  pomp  and  circum- 
stance. They  were  clad  in  pontifical  robes 
with  broad  fringes  and  phylacteries.  They 
were  burning  incense  and  waving  oblations 
and  performing  all  manner  of  liturgical  rites. 
But  there  was  nothing  of  that  sort  in  the 
goodman's  house.  The  purpose  of  the  elab- 
orate system  of  ordinances  in  the  Jewish 
Church  was  to  keep  alive  the  Messianic 
20 


The  Assembling  of  the  Church 

hope.  All  the  ahlutions,  all  the  sacrifices, 
centred  in  Christ.  It  is  obvious  that  when 
He  came  there  was  no  more  occasion  for 
them  ;  because  He  fulfilled  them  all.  The 
scaffolding  was  taken  down  when  the  build- 
ing was  completed. 

We  are  thus  delivered  from  the  bondage 
of  the  ceremonial  law.  All  that  remains  of 
that  complex  system  is  the  two  sacraments  : 
Baptism,  which  stands  for  all  the  ancient 
ablutions,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  which  is  a 
memorial  summary  of  all  sacrifices.  In  these 
the  ceremonial  law  is  reduced  to  its  simplest 
terms.  Thus  it  is  written,  "  He  blotted  out 
the  bond  written  in  ordinances  that  was 
against  us,  which  was  contrary  to  us  ;  and 
he  hath  taken  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to 
the  cross"  (Col.  ii.  14). 

It  is  a  mistake,  furthermore,  to  suppose  that 
the  Christian  Church  is  a  uniform  Church, 

The  Jewish  Church  was  an  integer,  an 
indivisible  unit.  It  had  but  one  temple, 
whither  all  the  tribes  went  up.  To  this  day 
the  tribes  scattered  throughout  the  world 
worship  with  their  faces  toward  Zion.  The 
21 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Jewish  Church  was  like  a  solitaire  ;  but  the 
Christian  Church  is  like  a  cluster  of  diamonds 
for  the  King's  crown.  It  has  no  temple.  It 
worships  in  ten  thousand  temples,  and  in  ten 
thousand  ways,  while  holding  to  "  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father 
of  all." 

This  diversity  in  unity  is  after  the  analogy 
of  nature.  We  are  born  to  segregate.  Men 
gather  in  groups,  according  to  their  divers 
ways  of  thinking.  If  you  follow  the  apostles 
out  of  the  upper  room,  you  will  find  each  of 
them  gathering  about  him  a  group  of  like- 
minded  men.  We  shall  have  the  Petrine 
Church,  placing  its  emphasis  on  zeal  :  the 
Johannean  Church,  placing  its  emphasis  on 
love :  the  Jacobean  Church,  placing  its  em- 
phasis on  conduct.  But  however  these 
"denominations"  may  multiply,  they  will 
all  preserve  their  legitimacy  by  emphasising 
Christ  and  the  essential  facts  which  centre  in 
Him.  "  In  essentials  unity,  in  non-essentials 
diversity,  in  all  things  charity."  Thus  the 
force  of  cohesion  is  stronger  than  all  divisive 
forces.     "  We  are  not  divided  ;  all  one  body 

22 


The  Assembling  of  the  Church 

we ;  one  in  hope  and  doctrine,  one  in  charity." 
Christ  ever  walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden 
candlesticks  with  their  many  branches,  having 
on  His  right  hand  the  signet  ring  with  its 
seven  stars.  This  is  "  Church  union  "  as  it 
ought  to  be. 

It  is  another  mistake  to  regard  the  Chris- 
tian Church  as  a  perfect  Church — that  is,  as 
a  body  of  good  people. 

In  that  assembly  in  the  upper  room  there 
were  none  but  sinners.  We  speak  of  "  Saint 
John"  and  "Saint  Peter"  and  "Saint 
James "  ;  but  they  themselves  would  have 
disavowed  it.  The  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  do  not  profess  to  be  good,  but 
only  to  be  trying  to  be  good.  There  is  no 
difference ;  all  alike  are  sinners  saved  by 
grace.  All  alike  are  trusting  in  the  cleansing 
power  of  the  blood.  All  alike  are  moved  by 
a  resolute  purpose  to  overcome  sin  and  follow 
in  the  footsteps  of  Christ  who  is  their 
exemplar  in  righteousness. 

Peter  is  always  with  us,  stumbling  and 
denying  his  Lord,  but  repenting  and  insist- 
ing, "  Lord,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee." 
23 


In   the  Upper  Room 

Thomas  is  always  with  us,  doubting  and 
hesitating,  but  convinced  at  length  by  the 
wounds  of  the  Master  and  crying,  "  My 
Lord  and  my  God  !  "  And  now  and  then, 
alas  !  a  Judas  is  found  among  us,  who  "  steals 
the  livery  of  the  Court  of  Heaven  to  serve 
the  devil  in."  In  fact,  however,  his  intrusion 
in  this  company  is  a  tribute  to  the  general 
character  of  the  Church  and  the  popular 
estimate  concerning  it ;  for  rogues  do  not 
counterfeit  bad  money.  We  never  hear  of 
a  spurious  infidel.  It  is  not  worth  while  to 
counterfeit  infidelity ;  because  there  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  it.  But  to  pass  for  a  Chris- 
tian is  a  matter  of  some  consequence  ;  and 
little  wonder  that  occasionally  a  bad  man 
takes  advantage  of  it.  The  Lord  Himself 
said,  "  The  wheat  and  the  tares  must  grow 
together  until  the  judgment.''  There  will 
be  a  great  sifting  in  that  day ;  and  "  the 
Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his.'* 

It  is  a  mistake  also  to  think  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  as  a  provisional  Church — that  is, 
an    organisation    which    may    sometime    be 
supplanted  by  a  better  one. 
24 


The  Assembling  of  the  Church 

There  never  has  been  but  one  Church 
and  there  never  will  be  another.  The 
Church  as  originally  instituted,  and  as  re- 
vived and  re-energised  by  Christ  in  the 
goodman's  house,  was  adjusted  to  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  time.  The  world  moves  and 
new  conditions  require  new  modes  and 
methods  ;  but,  as  to  the  fundamentals  of 
the  Church,  they  are  like  Christ  Himself, 
"  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever." 

There  are  some  things  that  never  change. 
Air  and  water  and  sunlight  cannot  be  improved 
on.  Sin  is  just  what  it  has  always  been  ;  nor 
is  there  any  new  plan  of  salvation.  God  is 
abreast  of  every  age.  The  non-essentials 
come  and  go,  but  the  essentials  have  come  to 
stay.  Thrones  and  dynasties  rise  and  flourish 
and  totter  to  their  fall ;  but  the  Church  abides. 

**  O  where  are  kings  and  empires  now 

Of  old  that  went  and  came? 
But,  Lord,  Thy  Church  is  praying  yet, 

A  thousand  years  the  same. 
Unshaken  as  the  eternal  hills 

Immovable  she  stands : 
A  mountain  that  shall  fill  the  earth. 

An  house  not  made  with  hands." 

25 


In  the  Upper  Room 

There  is  one  point  at  which  no  thoughtful 
man  can  make  any  mistake  ;  namely,  that 
the  Christian  Church  is  a  conquering  Church, 

The  men  who  are  presently  to  issue  from 
the  goodman*s  house  will  be  going  to  the 
conquest  of  the  world.  "  I  send  you  forth," 
said  the  Master,  "as  sheep  among  wolves." 
The  axe  is  sharpened ;  the  fagots  are 
kindled  ;  but  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is 
destined  to  be  the  seed  of  the  Church.  In 
all  these  nineteen  centuries  there  never  has 
been  a  time  when  the  hands  on  God*s  dial 
have  moved  backward.  There  have  been 
seasons  of  discouragement  when  men,  noting 
an  apparent  decadence  of  faith,  have  cried, 
"  The  fountains  of  the  great  deep  are  broken 
up ! "  But  the  Captain  of  our  salvation 
leads  no  forlorn  hope.  The  truth  of  His 
Messiahship  and  power  to  save  is  an  im- 
pregnable rock  ;  as  He  said,  "  On  this  rock 
do  I  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it." 


26 


III. 

THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  THE 
FOOT-WASHING. 

(John  xiii.) 

A  YEAR  before  this  meeting  in  the  upper 
room  the  disciples,  on  their  way  from  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  had  disputed  as 
to  which  should  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom 
that  Christ  was  about  to  set  up.  He  re- 
proved them  then  by  taking  a  little  child 
upon  His  knees  and  saying,  "If  any  man 
would  be  first,  he  shall  be  last  and  servant 
of  all"  (Matt,  xviii.  1-4;  cf.  xx.  25-28, 
xxiii.  1-12). 

As  they  now  gathered  in  the  upper  room 
they  revived  the   old    dispute.     It  was  un- 
worthy of  them.     They  should  have  known 
better.     The  trouble  arose  from  a  total  mis- 
27 


In  the  Upper   Room 

understanding  as  to  the  coming  kingdom. 
Christ  had  made  it  as  clear  as  possible  that 
this  was  to  be  a  kingdom  of  truth  and 
righteousness ;  but  they  expected  Him  to 
put  on  a  crown  and  purple  robe  and 
"restore  the  glory  to  Israel."  In  that  case, 
what  was  more  natural  than  that  Peter,  to 
whom  the  keys  were  entrusted,  should  be 
made  Prime  Minister  ?  Or  that  Judas, 
who  had  been  placed  in  charge  of  the 
meagre  funds,  should  be  made  Chancellor 
of  the  Exchequer?  Or  that  the  others 
should  expect  promotion  and  discuss  their 
relative  priority  in  the  distribution  of 
offices  ?  All  this  was  stupid  and  puerile  ; 
but  these  disciples  were  only  children  of 
a  larger  growth.  How  were  they  to 
be  made  to  understand  that  there  was 
to  be  no  such  kingdom  as  they  were 
thinking  of? 

We  should  be  slow  to  blame  them  ;  for 
the  fault  is  a  generic  one.  We  are  all  eager 
to  forge  to  the  front  and  make  life  tell.  So 
much  is  "  a  man  better  than  a  sheep.'*  We 
are  born  equal,  like  sheep,  but  we  part 
28 


Significance  of  Foot-Washing 

company  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  walk. 
Then  competition  begins.  It  is  like  an 
Olympiad,  in  which  each  one  "  stretches 
forth  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize."  A 
boy  goes  to  school  and  straightway  sets  out 
for  the  head  of  his  class.  He  enters  college 
and  begins  to  dream  of  the  valedictory,  or 
of  graduating  summa  cum  laude.  He  goes 
out  into  the  world  and  girds  himself  to 
distance  his  competitors.  Life  is  a  cam- 
paign, in  which  every  true  soldier  aspires, 
like  the  storied  Spartan,  to  march  in  the 
van. 

There  is  something  admirable  in  this. 
Ambition  has  been  called  "  the  infirmity  of 
noble  minds  "  ;  but  if  properly  directed  and 
kept  within  suitable  bounds  it  is  no  infirmity 
at  all.  To  climb  the  ladder  is  the  laudable 
ambition  of  every  self-respecting  toiler.  It 
is  only  when  men  jostle  each  other  aside  in 
their  eagerness  to  push  to  the  front,  or  when 
they  organise  a  "  closed  shop "  to  keep 
others  out  or  drive  them  to  the  wall,  that 
we  begin  to  see  the  brutal  side  of  it. 


29 


In  the  Upper  Room 

I.  The  Foot- Washing. 

It  is  clear  that  this  is  the  inner  significance 
of  the  foot-washing.  Our  Lord  did  not 
intend  to  reprove  the  ambition  of  His 
disciples,  but  to  direct  and  curb  it.  The 
story  is  told  simply  :  "  He  riseth  from 
supper  and  layeth  aside  his  garments  ;  and 
he  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself;  then 
he  poured  water  into  a  basin  and  began  to 
wash  his  disciples'  feet." 

One  thing  is  evident :  some  lesson  of 
unusual  importance  was  in  His  mind,  else 
He  would  not  have  said  to  His  disciples, 
"  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  unto  you  ? " 

To  say  that  we  are  to  follow  His  example 
literally  in  this  case,  as  the  Winebrennerians 
do,  or  as  the  Pope  does  on  Maunday  Thurs- 
day, is  to  misconstrue  and  belittle  it.  As 
well  put  a  literal  construction  on  His  injunc- 
tion, "To  him  that  smiteth  thee  on  the  one 
cheek,  offer  the  other  also  ;  and  from  him 
that  taketh  away  thy  cloak,  withhold  not  thy 
coat  also."  It  is  a  true  saying,  "The  letter 
killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life."  What 
30 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

the  Master  had  In  mind  was  not  a  petty  rite 
or  ceremony,  but  a  great  lesson,  which  was 
destined,  when  properly  understood,  to 
affect  the  entire  lives  and  characters  of  those 
who  followed  Him. 

His  own  thought  was  perfectly  clear : 
He,  "  knowing  that  his  hour  was  come,  and 
knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things 
into  his  hands,  and  knowing  that  he  came 
forth  from  God  and  that  he  was  returning 
to  God,"  did  thus  and  so.  And  He  was 
desirous  that  His  disciples  also  should 
understand  it.  Are  we  sure  that  we  appre- 
hend the  mighty  sweep  of  His  purpose 
here  ?  Not  one  of  His  disciples  would  have 
performed  the  menial  service  to  which  He 
stooped  that  day.  It  was  not  for  nothing 
that  He  thus  demeaned  Himself.  What  did 
He  mean  by  it  ? 

The  first  thing  we  have  here  is  a  Definition 
of  true  greatness  ;  and  It  differs  in  no  wise 
from  what  He  had  previously  said,  "  Blessed 
are  the  poor  In  spirit :  for  theirs  Is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  "  ;  and  "  Blessed  are  the 
meek  :  for  they  shall  Inherit  the  earth." 

31 


In  the   Upper  Room 

But  the  humility  of  the  Master  is  no 
humiliation.  It  is  not  servility,  but  service  ; 
with  a  definite  and  blessed  end  in  view.  It 
is  not  "bending  the  pregnant  hinges  of  the 
knee  that  thrift  may  follow  fawning,"  but 
rather  stooping  to  conquer.  John  Milton 
characterises  it  as  "  that  lofty  lowliness  of 
mind  which  is  exalted  by  its  own  humilia- 
tion." There  is  a  false  humility  which  is 
only  another  name  for  pride  :  like  that  of 
Diogenes,  of  whom  Plato  said  that  "  he  was 
prouder  of  the  holes  in  his  garments  than 
many  kings  of  their  purple  and  fine  linen." 
On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  warrantable 
pride,  based  on  truest  character,  which  counts 
it  the  very  summit  of  privilege  to  bow  low 
that  others  may  walk  over  it  into  a  truer 
life. 

We  have  also  here  a  Principle  laid  down  ; 
the  same  that  the  Romans  referred  to  in  the 
proverb,  Servire  est  regnare. 

To  serve  is  indeed  to  reign.     Is  a  mother 

ever  greater  than  when  she  ministers  to  her 

children  ?     Is  a   king    ever   more   sovereign 

than    when    he    seeks    the    welfare    of    his 

32 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

humblest  subjects  ?  Where  will  you  find 
a  nobler  legend  than  that  on  the  escutcheon 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales  ?   "  I  serve  !  " 

And  here  is  also  a  Law  formulated  ;  to 
wit,  the  Law  of  Service.  All  who  truly 
follow  Christ  are  under  this  law. 

It  is  recorded  that  when  Jesus  had  washed 
the  disciples'  feet  He  resumed  His  garments 
and  sat  down  and  talked  with  them.  In  the 
course  of  that  conversation  He  said,  "  A  new 
commandment  give  I  unto  you  ;  even  as  I 
have  loved  you,  that  ye  love  one  another." 
How  could  this  be  called  a  new  command- 
ment ?  Had  He  not  frequently  bidden  His 
disciples  to  love  one  another?  Had  He 
not  told  them  one  of  the  two  great  com- 
mandments was,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbour  as  thyself"?  Yes;  but  this  is 
different,  as  we  shall  see  further  on.  They 
are  not  to  love  one  another  as  they  loved 
themselves.  The  love  of  self  is  to  be  en- 
tirely obliterated  ;  and  they  are  to  love  one 
another  as  Christ  had  loved  them  ;  that  is, 
with  an  entirely  self-forgetful  and  self- 
denying  love.     That  was  indeed  a  new  com- 


In  the  Upper    Room 

mandment !  The  world  had  heard  nothing 
like  it. 

This  new  commandment  is  illustrated  by 
the  washing  of  their  feet.  A  man  returning 
from  the  bath  would  gather  dust  upon  his 
feet  along  the  way :  so  that  on  reaching 
the  next  threshold  he  must  lay  aside  his 
sandals  and  use  the  basin  before  entering. 
Thus  it  is  necessary  for  those  who  have 
been  purged  from  sin  to  cleanse  themselves 
from  the  defilement  of  ever-recurring  sins. 
And  it  is  the  duty  of  all  who  follow  Christ 
to  help  one  another  in  this  matter  ;  not  to 
blame  or  thrust  with  the  fist,  but  to  bend 
low  and  lend  a  hand.  Was  not  this  what 
Christ  was  ever  doing  ?  And  should  we 
not  expect  Him  to  lay  the  same  injunc- 
tion upon  us  ?  Paul  puts  it  in  another 
form  :  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens, 
and  so  fulfil  the  Law  of  Christ "  (Gal. 
vi.  2). 

We  have  here,  furthermore,  an  Example. 

And  Jesus  said,  "  If  I  then,  your  Lord  and 

Master,    have    washed  your  feet,  ye   ought 

also  to  wash  one  another's  feet.     For  I  have 

34 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do 
as  I  have  done  unto  you." 

Nor  was  there  anything  extraordinary  in 
this  particular  case  of  humility  on  the  part 
of  our  blessed  Lord.  Had  He  not  said, 
"The  Son  of  Man  is  come  not  to  be 
ministered  unto  but  to  minister,  and  to  give 
his  life  a  ransom  for  many "  ?  In  his  in- 
carnation he  bowed  the  Heavens  to  come 
down  and  take  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a 
servant.  His  life  was  all  ministry  ;  it  was 
expended  in  the  behalf  of  His  fellow-men. 
It  is  written  that  He  "went  about  doing 
good."  What  biography  was  ever  written 
so  briefly  and  wonderfully  as  that  ?  And 
His  death  was  the  greatest  ministry  of  all. 
On  the  Cross  He  stooped  to  conquer  the 
world.  In  that  supreme  act  of  self-sacrifice 
He  girded  Himself  to  serve  all  men. 

This  I  conceive  to  be  the  lesson  of  the 
foot-washing.  "Let  that  mind  be  in  you 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  :  who,  being 
in  the  form  of  God,  counted  it  not  a  prize 
to  be  on  an  equality  with  God,  but  emptied 
himself,  taking  the  form  of  a  servant ;  and, 
35 


In  the  Upper   Room 

being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled 
himself,  becoming  obedient  even  unto  death, 
yea,  the  death  of  the  cross.  Wherefore  God 
hath  also  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  unto 
him  the  name  which  is  above  every  name, 
that  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bow."  "  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are 
ye  if  ye  do  them." 

2.  Judas  the  Betrayer  (vers.  18-30). 

In  connection  with  the  foot-washing, — 
which  was  an  acted  parable  on  true  great- 
ness,— our  Lord  addressed  Himself  to  the 
cases  of  two  self-willed  disciples  who  were 
presently  to  illustrate  the  truth  of  His  teach- 
ing, per  contra^  one  by  betraying  Him  and 
the  other  by  denying  Him. 

The  first  is  Judas.  If,  as  many  think, 
he  was  "the  worst  man  in  the  Bible,"  it 
was  not  because  he  was  an  enemy  of  Christ. 
In  that  respect  Annas  and  Caiaphas,  Herod 
and  Pontius  Pilate,  the  Roman  soldiers  and 
the  Jews  generally,  were  as  guilty  as  he. 
It  was  his  dark  treachery  and  deliberate 
hypocrisy  that    made    his    name  a  perpetual 

36 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

hissing  and  byword.  In  the  three  lists  of 
the  apostles  he  is  always  mentioned  with 
this  stigma,  "Judas,  which  also  betrayed 
him." 

And  yet  this  man  was  once  an  innocent 
child  in  his  mother's  arms.  He  played 
with  other  boys  in  the  streets  of  Kerioth, 
and  his  laughter  was  as  innocent  as  theirs. 
He  passed  into  his  manhood  under  a 
rainbow  arch  of  promise.  Then  Jesus  came 
into  his  life,  saying,  "  Follow  me ! "  and 
Judas  rose  up  and  followed  Him.  For 
three  years  he  sat  with  the  other  disciples 
at  the  feet  of  the  great  Teacher,  whose 
words  are  always  a  "  savour  of  life  unto 
life,  or  of  death  unto  death."  His  heart 
meanwhile  was  unchanged.  He  wore  a 
mask,  and  wore  it  so  successfully  that  his 
disloyalty  was  unsuspected  by  his  most 
intimate  friends  until  the  last  act  in  the 
awful  tragedy,  when  he  betrayed  his  Master 
with  a  kiss. 

In  the  Orient  there  is  a  tree  which  puts 
forth  a  beautiful  leaf,  then  a  red  hypnotic 
flower,  and  afterwards  a  gall-apple  filled  with 
Z7 


In  the  Upper  Room 

poisonous  dust.  It  is  called  the  "Judas 
tree "  :  it  appropriately  symbolises  the  self- 
propagating  power  of  evil  ;  its  leaf,  its 
blossom  and  its  fatal  fruit. 

The  genealogy  of  evil  is  set  forth  by 
the  Apostle  James,  after  the  same  manner, 
in  three  downward  steps,  as  follows  :  "  Lust, 
when  it  hath  conceived,  bringeth  forth  sin  : 
and  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth 
death." 

The  story  begins  with  lust.  The  word 
has  an  uncanny  sound.  Its  reference  is 
to  any  inordinate  desire.  It  may  be  the 
desire  of  pleasure.  Or  it  may  be  ambition, 
that  is,  the  unbridled  lust  of  earthly  glory. 
In  the  case  of  Judas  it  was  avarice.  This 
was  the  leaf  of  the  Judas  tree. 

Now  money,  of  itself,  has  no  moral 
quality  at  all.  It  is  good  or  bad,  as  the 
case  may  be.  It  will  kindle  a  fire  to  warm 
the  blue  hands  of  poverty,  or  to  burn  up 
truth  and  virtue  and  all  nobleness.  It  will 
make  the  wilderness  of  the  world  to  blossom 
like  the  rose,  or  scorch  the  greenest  meadows 
into  barrenness. 

38 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

"Gold!  Gold!  Gold!  Gold! 
Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold; 
Molten,  graven,  hammered  and  rolled; 
Heavy  to  get  and  light  to  hold; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bought  and  sold; 
Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled ; 
Spurned  by  the  young,  but  hugged  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  churchyard  mould; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold. 
Gold!  Gold!  Gold!  Gold! 
Good  or  bad  a  thousand  fold ; 
How  widely  its  agencies  vary ! 
To  save,  to  ruin,  to  curse,  to  bless; 
As  even  its  minted  coins  express. 
Now  stamped  with  the  image  of  good  Queen  Bess 
And  now  of  bloody  Mary." 

All  depends  on  what  Is  done  with  it.  But 
without  controversy  "the  love  of  money 
is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil,  by  which 
many  have  pierced  themselves  through  with 
many  sorrows"  (i  Tim.  vi.  lo). 

Lust  when  it  hath  conceived  bringeth 
forth  sin.  It  is  recorded  of  Judas  that, 
as  treasurer  of  the  Twelve,  he  "bare  the 
bag "  ;  and  we  are  led  to  surmise  that  he 
purloined  from  it.  We  know  that  he 
coveted  the  money  which  might  have  been 
realised  from  the  sale  of  the  precious  nard 
39 


In  the  Upper  Room 

with  which  the  feet  of  Jesus  were  anointed. 
It  was  the  lure  of  thirty  pieces  of  silver 
that  ultimately  ruined  him. 

The  taste  of  the  sacramental  wine  was  on 
his  lips  when  he  went  out  of  the  upper  room 
and  betook  himself  to  the  Hall  of  Caiaphas 
to  betray  his  Lord.  The  rulers  were  eager 
to  receive  him.  This  was  the  opportunity 
they  had  long  waited  for. 

"When,"  they  asked,  "wilt  thou  deliver 
Him  unto  our  hands  ?  " 

"  This  very  night." 

"  And  where  ? 

"  He  is  now  on  His  way  to  a  garden  on 
the  slope  of  Olivet.  I  know  the  place 
well.  He  is  accustomed  to  go  there  for 
meditation  and  prayer.     I  will  lead  you." 

They  set  forth,  guards,  rabbis  and  a  mob 
with  staves  and  lanterns.  The  traitor  was 
in  front.  He  led  them  at  a  quick  pace 
down  the  path  to  the  Kidron  and  up  along 
the  slope  of  the  opposite  hill.  As  they 
entered  the  garden,  Judas  turned  and  said, 
"  Whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  the  same  is  he  ; 
hold  him  fast." 

40 


Signijficance  of  Foot- Washing 

As  they  passed  under  the  deeper  shadows 
of  the  olive  trees  they  saw  Christ  yonder  in 
the  moonlight ;  and  Judas,  rushing  headlong 
to  his  ruin,  approached  and  threw  his  arms 
around  Him.  "Hail,  Master,"  he  cried, 
and  kissed  Him.  The  word  here  used  is 
that  of  a  lover  and  a  maid  :  he  kissed  Him 
eagerly,  passionately,  again  and  again.  Thus 
did  he  consummate  his  crime.  It  was  lese- 
majeste^  treachery  of  the  deepest,  darkest 
dye.  That  kiss  in  the  garden  was  the  red 
flower  of  the  Judas  tree. 

Sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth 
death.  The  body  of  the  self-slain  traitor 
swings  above  the  deep  abyss  of  Hinnom. 
We  may  not  linger  here.  The  winds  are 
moaning,  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death  !  " 
The  tree  has  borne  its  gall-apple.  Thus 
the  betrayer  of  Jesus  went  unto  "his  own 
place."     Where  else  could  he  go  ? 

And  yet  observe  how  Jesus  tried  to  save 
Judas.  He  admonished  him  again  and 
again,  saying,  "  One  of  you  shall  betray  me." 
He  kindled  many  beacons  to  warn  him 
away  from  the  dizzy  abyss.  In  giving  him 
41 


In  the  Upper  Room 

the  sop  which  had  been  dipped  in  pottage — 
a  token  of  singular  friendship — He  made  a 
pathetic  appeal  to  the  lingering  sense  of 
manhood  that  was  in  him  ;  as  if  to  say, 
"  Thou  art  mine  own  familiar  friend  ;  I 
pray  thee,  do  it  not  !  "  The  words,  "  What 
thou  doest,  do  quickly,"  were  like  the  cry 
of  one  awaiting  the  surgeon's  knife  :  "  Do 
not  prolong  the  agony !  "  How  could 
Judas  hear  and  not  respond  ?  The  answer 
is,  his  heart  was  fully  set  in  him  to  do  evil. 
He  went  out,  "  and  it  was  night !  " 

Nor  was  it  too  late  even  then.  For 
"while  the  lamp  holds  on  to  burn,  the 
greatest  sinner  may  return."  Was  not  the 
penitent  thief  caught  up  into  heaven  when 
his  feet  were  staggering  on  the  very  crust  of 
hell  ?  The  saints  triumphant  are  all  sinners 
saved  by  grace,  and  among  them  are  many 
once  drabs  and  drunkards,  plucked  out  of 
the  horrible  pit  and  the  miry  clay.  Thank 
God,  while  there's  life,  there's  hope  ! 

But  on  one  condition  ;  that  is,  repentance. 
Judas  did  not  repent.  He  was  overwhelmed 
with  remorse  ;  but  remorse  is  not  repentance. 
42 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

His  was  merely  a  regret  for  consequences, 
not  for  guilt  itself  as  an  offence  against  a 
holy  God.  True  repentance  involves  faith  ; 
wherefore  there  is  always  a  rainbow  of  hope 
in  its  tears.  The  monk  Staupitz  uttered  a 
great  truth  when  he  said  to  Luther,  who 
had  come  to  him  overwhelmed  with  con- 
trition :  "  My  friend,  your  repentance  is 
spurious  unless  it  drives  your  soul  to 
God." 

No  matter  how  heavy  the  burden  of 
guilt  that  weighs  upon  the  sinner's  heart ; 
it  remains  true  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake, 
stands  ready  to  remove  it.  "  The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  from  all  sin  !  " 
It  is,  therefore,  never  too  late  to  mend. 

3.  Peter,  the  Denier  (vers.  31-38). 

All  the  world  loves  Peter  ;  but  there  is 
no  denying  that  he  was  a  great  blunderer. 
His  faults,  however,  were  such  as  lean  to 
virtue's  side.  His  overtopping  weakness 
was  self-confidence.  He  was  so  sure  of 
himself  that  he  was  always  walking  on  thin 
ice.  It  is  a  true  saying,  "Pride  goeth 
43 


In   the  Upper  Room 

before  destruction,  and  a  haughty  spirit 
before  a  fall." 

He  was  repeatedly  warned  against  his  be- 
setting sin.  When  he  protested,  "  Although 
all  should  be  offended  in  thee,  yet  will  not 
I,"  his  Lord  replied,  "Verily,  verily,  I  say 
unto  thee,  this  night  before  the  cock  crow 
thou  shalt  deny  me  thrice."  And  that  night 
the  thing  was  done.  In  the  open  court  of 
Caiaphas  the  high  priest,  where  the  soldiers 
had  kindled  a  fire  and  were  warming  them- 
selves, he  protested  even  with  an  oath,  "  I 
know  not  the  man,"  and  immediately  the 
cock  crew. 

So  Peter  fell.  The  man  was  "  down  and 
out."  Weighed  in  the  balance  and  found 
wanting !  No,  not  yet.  The  crowing  of  the 
cock  recalled  him  to  himself,  and,  chancing 
to  turn  his  eyes  towards  the  judgment  hall, 
he  saw  the  Prisoner  at  the  bar,  who  "  looked 
upon  him."  Oh,  that  look  of  the  Master  ! 
So  full  of  tender  reproach  and  entreaty ! 
Then  Peter  remembered  ;  and  he  "  went  out 
and  wept  bitterly."  Shame,  self-contempt 
and  momentary  despair  were  struggling  to 
44 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

get  the  better  of  him.     His  pride  was  pitilessly- 
laid  low.     But  the  end  was  not  yet. 

Let  us  observe  how  he  struggled  to  his  feet. 
It  was  on  that  very  night  that  Judas  also 
denied  his  Lord  and  betrayed  Him.  How 
was  it  that,  while  one  went  out  and  hanged 
himself  the  other  was  restored  to  favour? 
There  are  three  reasons  for  this. 

First,  Peter  really  believed  in  Christ,  while 
Judas  did  not.  It  was  Peter  who  had  re- 
cently witnessed  the  good  confession,  "  Thou 
art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God  1  " 
No  matter  what  his  weakness  might  be,  he 
was  upheld  by  a  strong  conviction  that  Jesus 
was  the  long-looked-for  Messiah,  and  that 
He  had  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sin. 

Second,  he  really  loved  Christ,  while  Judas 
did  not.  Faith  begets  love.  A  few  days 
after  this  threefold  denial,  a  group  of  the 
disciples  were  fishing  in  the  early  morning. 
In  the  twilight  a  lone  figure  was  seen  walk- 
ing on  the  shore.  The  fishermen  whispered 
among  themselves,  "  It  is  the  Lord  I  "  and 
began  to  row  toward  the  shore.  But  Peter 
could  not  wait ;  in  a  passion  of  repentant 
45 


In   the   Upper   Room 

love  he  threw  off  his  fisher's  coat  and  leaped 
into  the  water.  A  few  moments  later  he 
stood  dripping  in  the  presence  of  his  Lord, 
who  asked,  "Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 
me  ? "  Alas,  his  old  name  !  Why  not 
"  Peter,  the  man  of  stone  "  ?  Ignoring  the 
reproach,  he  answered,  "  Yea,  Lord  ;  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee."  Again,  "  Simon, 
son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  ?  " — "  Yea, 
Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee."  A 
third  time,  as  if  to  correspond  with  his  three 
denials,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 
me  ?  "  Peter  answered,  "  Lord,  thou  know- 
est all  things  ;  my  sin,  my  shame,  my  foolish 
pride,  my  self-reliance,  my  remorse,  my  fear  ; 
and  thou  knowest  that  despite  all  these  I  love 
thee."  And  thrice  the  Lord  said,  "Feed 
my  sheep."  Thus  was  he  restored  to  the 
apostolate.  At  last  he  understood  the  foot- 
washing,  and  was  willing  that  his  Master 
should  control  him.  From  that  time  onward 
he  never  wavered  in  his  devotion  ;  and  ulti- 
mately he  earned  his  knighthood  as  the  man 
of  stone. 

Third,  he  was  loyal  to  Christ,  through  it 

46 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

all ;  for  as  faith  begets  love,  so  love  begets 
loyalty.  His  lamentable  fall  was  once  for  all. 
How  quickly  he  recovered  !  On  the  Day  of 
Pentecost  we  find  him  confronting  the 
assembled  multitude  with  the  words,  "Ye 
have  taken  the  Lord  and  with  wicked  hands 
have  crucified  and  slain  him  ! "  His  life 
was  in  his  hands  when  he  thus  spoke  ;  but 
there  was  no  trembling  of  the  knees  nor 
shaking  of  the  voice.  This  man  had  learned 
his  lesson.  Frank,  fearless  and  enthusiastic 
we  shall  observe  him  henceforth  in  the  fore- 
front ot  affairs.  He  preaches  to  principalities 
and  powers,  meets  persecution  without  blanch- 
ing, becomes  a  familiar  acquaintance  of  the 
scourge  and  prison  damp,  and  braves  the 
weariness  of  missionary  toil  until  he  passes 
through  the  gates  of  Rome  to  a  martyr's 
death.  A  moment  later,  as  he  enters  on  his 
heavenly  reward,  we  can  imagine  him  saying 
to  his  Master  with  immeasurable  joy :  "  Now, 
Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  !  " 

On  the  Appian  Way,  not  far  outside  the 
walls  of  Rome,  there  is  a  little  church  called 
Nomine  quo  Vadis,     In  its  floor  is  a  marble 
47 


In  the  Upper  Room 

slab  bearing  the  imprint  of  a  human  foot,  at 
which  pilgrims  cross  themselves  and  bend 
their  knees  in  worship.  An  ancient  legend 
says  that  this  is  the  footprint  of  the  risen 
Christ  who,  on  His  way  to  Rome,  met  Peter 
fleeing  from  persecution  ;  and  when  Peter 
asked,  "  Domine  quo  Vadis  ?  "  that  is,  "  Lord, 
whither  goest  Thou  ?  "  he  answered,  "  I  go  to 
Rome  to  be  crucified  again  for  timid  men 
like  thee."  This  legend  is  not  true  to  the 
character  of  Peter  ;  and,  of  course,  there  is 
nothing  in  the  inspired  record  to  confirm  it. 

I  have  indicated  three  reasons  to  account 
for  the  recovery  of  Peter,  namely  :  he 
believed  in  Christ,  loved  Him  and  was  loyal 
to  Him.  But  there  are  three  much  better 
reasons  for  it. 

The  first  is  that  Christ  loved  Peter.  And, 
when  all  is  said,  we  are  saved  not  by  our  love 
for  Christ,  but  by  His  love  for  us.  In  the 
account  of  His  meeting  with  the  disciples  in 
the  upper  room  it  is  recorded  that  "  having 
loved  them,  he  loved  them  to  the  end."  He 
loved  them  without  reference  to  any  personal 
merit  of  theirs.     He  loved  Peter,  knowing 

48 


Significance  of  Foot- Washing 

that  he  would  deny  Him  ;  and  He  loved 
him  to  the  very  end,  just  as  He  loves  us. 

The  second  fact  to  account  for  the  recovery 
of  Peter  is  that  Christ  prayed  for  him.  In 
one  of  His  warnings  He  had  said,  "  Simon, 
Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to  have 
thee,  that  he  might  sift  thee  as  wheat ;  but  I 
have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail  not." 
What  a  buttress  of  strength  have  we  here  ! 
If  "the  fervent  effectual  prayer  of  a  righteous 
man  availeth  much,"  how  much  more  avail- 
ing shall  be  the  fervent  effectual  prayer  of 
the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  who  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us  ! 

And  thirdly,  Christ  stood  by  him.  Had 
He  not  promised, "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor 
forsake  thee  "  ?  How  could  Peter's  faith  fail 
when  Jesus  was  praying  for  him  ?  His  joy 
failed  ;  his  assurance  failed ;  his  self-con- 
fidence failed  ;  but  his  faith  failed  not.  "  It 
was  night"  for  him  as  for  Judas,  but  the 
morning  star  was  in  his  sky.  His  confidence 
was  due  to  the  prayer  of  his  Lord.  Blessed 
be  His  Name,  we  have  no  friend  so  near  as 
He !  He  is  nearer  than  touching  or  seeing. 
49 


In  the  Upper  Room 

To  realise  this  is  to  discover  the  secret  of  the 
higher  life.  I  never  walk  alone  ;  He  walks 
with  me.  I  never  meet  temptation  alone ; 
He  is  my  strong  helper.  I  never  address 
myself  to  duty  alone  ;  it  is  always  He  and  I. 
His  yoke  is  for  two.  Where  I  go  He  goes 
with  me,  unless  I  wilfully  part  company  with 
Him.  I  never  sin,  save  when  I  fling  Him  ojff*. 
Not  that  Peter  was  never  afraid  ;  it  was  in 
spite  of  fear  that  he  stood  to  his  colours.  I 
have  heard  of  a  braggart  in  battle  saying  to 
his  comrades,  "  You  are  afraid  ;  your  knees 
are  shaking,"  and  getting  the  quick  answer, 
"  If  you  were  half  as  frightened  as  I  am  you'd 
run."     This  is   the    touchstone  of  couragre. 

o 

Peter  may  have  trembled,  but  he  did  not 
run.  It  was  thus  that  he  won  out.  No 
coward  he.  No  quitter  he.  For  thirty  years 
of  toil  and  trial  he  faced  his  duty,  met  his 
temptations,  and  finally  died  like  a  man. 

We  may  take  courage  from  the  experience 
of  this  man.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  he,  in 
whose  early  experience  there  was  so  little  of 
promise,  grew  to  be  pre-eminently  the  Apostle 
of  Character.  No  one  of  the  sacred  writers 
50 


Significance   of  Foot- Washing 

insists  as  earnestly  as  he  on  the  importance 
of  a  symmetrical  cultivation  of  the  graces. 
It  is  Peter  who  sets  for  us  that  great  "  sum 
in  addition  "  which  is  really  the  most  difficult 
problem  of  life  :  "  Add  to  your  faith  virtue, 
and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge 
temperance,  and  to  temperance  patience,  and 
to  patience  godliness,  and  to  godliness 
brotherly-kindness,  and  to  brotherly-kindness 
charity  ;  for  if  these  things  be  in  you  and 
abound,  they  make  you  that  ye  shall  be 
neither  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  know- 
ledge of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ." 

Thus  we  learn  the  lesson  of  Peter's  fall 
and  recovery.  It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to 
live  a  Christian  life.  We  are  called  into  a 
close  grapple  with  "  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the 
lust  of  the  eye  and  the  pride  of  life."  But 
who  wants  to  live  an  easy  life  ?  "  The  north 
wind  makes  Vikings." 

**  Must  I  be  carried  to  the  skies 
On  flowery  beds  of  ease. 
While  thousands  fought  to  win  the  prize 
And  sailed  through  bloody  seas? 

51 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Sure  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign; 

Increase  my  courage,  Lord; 
I'll  bear  the  toil,  endure  the  pain, 

Supported  by  Thy  word." 

If  a  man  chooses  to  struggle  on  alone  he 
can  do  so.  In  that  event,  however,  let  him 
not  complain  if  the  issue  is  against  him.  But 
blessed  is  the  man  who  can  go  with  fortitude 
into  the  fiery  furnace,  if  need  be,  to  be  tried 
as  gold  is  tried.  He  need  not  fear  the  final 
outcome,  if,  like  the  three  youths  of  Babylon, 
he  can  realise  in  that  fiery  furnace  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Son  of  God. 

Let  us  take  heed  and  beware,  however,  of 
self-confidence. 

•*  Beware  of  Peter's  word ; 
Nor  confidently  say, 
*I  never  will  deny  my  Lord,' 
But  grant  I  never  may !  '* 

If  we  fall  it  is  through  pride  ;  if  we  rise 
again  it  is  not  in  our  own  strength,  but 
because  the  Lord  stands  by  us. 


52 


IV. 

THE  TRIUNE  GOD. 
(John  xiv.) 

Everybody  loves  this  chapter.  It  is  a 
favourite  not  only  with  those  who  have 
grown  old  in  the  Christian  life,  but  with  the 
little  people  as  well.  It  touches  the  tenderest 
chords  of  our  nature,  because  it  records  the 
farewell  words  of  the  Saviour  in  His  last 
interview  with  His  immediate  friends.  But 
there  is  another  reason  for  its  singular  fasci- 
nation, it  sets  forth  the  fundamental  truth  of 
the  nature  of  God.  The  doctrine  is  pro- 
found ;  but  it  is  presented — after  the  in- 
comparable method  of  Christ — in  terms  so 
simple  that  a  child  can  apprehend  it. 

I.  God  the  Father. 
In   one    of   the   letters    of    Madame    de 
Gasparin  she  writes  :    "  If  Christ  had  never 
53 


In  the  Upper  Room 

said  anything  but  this,  *  When  ye  pray,  say. 
Our  Father,'  it  would  have  compensated  for 
all  the  outlay  of  divine  energy  displayed  in 
His  incarnation  and  earthly  life." 

True,  the  Fatherhood  of  God  did  not 
originate  with  Christ.  There  are  intimations 
of  it  in  some  of  the  false  religions  :  notably 
in  the  Norse  mythology,  where  He  is  called 
"Al-fadir,"  or  Father  of  all.  But  in  the 
teachings  of  Christ  this  generic  intuition  is 
pressed  home  with  constant  emphasis.  In 
this  interview,  having  announced  His  ap- 
proaching departure.  He  comforted  His  dis- 
ciples with  the  words,  "  In  my  Father's  house 
are  many  mansions  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  I 
would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you."  Then  up  spoke  Philip  : 
"  Lord,  show  us  the  Father  and  it  sufficeth 
us."  Jesus  answered,  "Have  I  been  so 
long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not 
known  me,  Philip  ?  He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father  ;  and  how  sayest  thou 
then.  Show  us  the  Father.?  Believest  thou 
not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  me  ? " 

54 


The  Triune  God 

Jesus  here  claims  to  be  the  revealer  of  the 
Father.  As  the  eternal  Logos  or  "Word," 
He  is  the  intermediary  of  communication  and 
acquaintance  between  God  and  man,  precisely 
as  language  is  the  means  of  communication 
between  us.  His  incarnation,  when  the  Word 
became  flesh,  was,  so  to  speak,  the  articula- 
tion of  the  divine  speech.  Thus  the  Father 
makes  Himself  known  to  us.  Wherefore, 
"  no  man  knoweth  the  Father  but  the  Son, 
and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  reveal  him." 

All  our  unaided  conceptions  of  God  the 
Father  are  vague  and  unsatisfying;  but  in 
Christ  He  is  clearly  revealed.  When  Jesus 
told  His  disciples  that  He  was  about  to  return 
to  the  Father's  house,  adding  that  they  knew 
the  way,  Thomas  said,  "  Lord,  we  know  not 
whither  thou  goest ;  and  how  can  we  know 
the  way  .?  "  to  which  He  replied,  "  I  am  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life  ;  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  In  other  words, 
He  had  come  not  only  to  reveal  God,  but  to 
provide  a  way  by  which  the  wandering  might 
return  to  Him.  This  is  provided  through 
the  atonement  of  the  Cross.  His  pierced 
55 


In  the  Upper  Room 

hands  are  stretched  out  towards  the  Father 
on  one  side  and  the  prodigal  on  the  other  ; 
and  thus  the  at-one-ment  comes  to  pass.  So 
the  sinner  is  restored  to  the  Father's  house  ; 
as  Jesus  said,  "That  where  I  am,  there  ye 
may  be  also  "  :  at  home,  with  God  ! 

In  the  same  connection  one  may  clearly 
understand  Christ's  profound  teaching  on 
prayer.  "  Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father 
in  my  name,  he  will  give  you.  Hitherto  ye 
have  asked  nothing  in  my  name  :  ask,  and 
ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full. 
In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name  :  and  I 
say  not  unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father 
for  you  ;  for  the  Father  himself  loveth  you, 
because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed 
that  I  came  forth  from  the  Father"  (John 
xvi.  24-26).  And  yet  in  one  supreme  con- 
nection He  will  pray  unto  the  Father  for 
them.  He  will  ask  the  abiding  presence  of 
the  Comforter.  "  I  will  pray  the  Father, 
and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that 
he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever.  It  is  ex- 
pedient for  you  that  I  go  away  ;  for  if  I  go 
not  away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto 

56 


The  Triune  God 

you  ;  but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  him  unto 
you. 

Had  the  disciples  known  this  they  would 
have  rejoiced  Indeed  when  He  said  :  "I  go 
unto  the  Father "  ;  for  this  meant  that  He 
was  going  to  exercise  a  mightier  influence 
within  the  Church  than  ever  before.  He 
was  not  only  to  sit  again  upon  the  throne  of 
universal  empire  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
majesty  on  high,  but  to  receive  the  name 
which  is  above  every  name ;  that  at  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  and 
every  tongue  confess  that  He  is  Lord  "  to  the 
glory  of  God  the  Father, ^^ 

2.  God  the  Son. 

The  filiation  of  Christ  with  the  Father  is 
expressed  in  the  most  singular  terms.  There 
is  a  sense  in  which  we  are  all  children  of 
God,  since  we  are  created  in  His  likeness  and 
after  His  image.  There  is  another  sense  in 
which,  having  accepted  Christ,  we  are  received 
by  adoption  into  the  household  of  faith,  so 
that  we  may  say,  "Abba,  Father."  But 
Christ  is  not  a  son  by  creation,  nor  yet  by 
57 


In  the  Upper  Room 

adoption,  but  by  generation  :  wherefore  He 
and  He  alone  is  called  "the  only-begotten 
Son  of  God/* 

As  such  He  claims  absolute  equality  with 
the  Father.  It  is  written  of  Him,  "  In  the 
beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God  :  and  the 
Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 
He  had  not  only  reigned  with  the  Father  in 
pre-existent  glory,  but  He  was  to  return  and 
reign  again  with  Him.  Here  is  the  explana- 
tion of  those  words,  "  If  ye  loved  me  ye 
would  rejoice  because  I  said  I  go  unto  my 
Father  ;  for  my  Father  is  greater  than  /." 
How  could  He  say  that  the  Father  was 
greater,  if  they  were  really  equal  ? 

The  solution  of  the  difficulty  is  found 
in  the  "  Kenosis,"  or  emptying  of  Christ ; 
for  which  turn  to  Phil.  ii.  5-1 1  :  "Have 
this  mind  in  you  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus ;  who,  existing  in  the  form 
of  God,  counted  not  the  being  on  an 
equality  with  God  a  thing  to  be  grasped, 
but  emptied  himself,  taking  the  form  of 
a   servant,"  etc.     Of  what   did    He    empty 

58 


The  Triune  God 

himself  when  He  became  a  man  ?  Not  of 
his  Godhoodj — which  is  unthinkable, — but 
of  the  glory  of  it.  In  stooping  to  conquer 
He  divested  Himself  of  all  the  visible  tokens 
of  divinity.  In  this  state  of  humiliation 
He  was,  indeed,  not  equal  with  the  Father  ; 
but  He  distinctly  says  that  the  glory  which 
He  had  temporarily  laid  aside  was  to  be 
reassumed  when  His  redeeming  work  was 
done.  The  temporary  abdication  of  His 
throne  did  not  affect  the  validity  of  His 
divine  claim.  It  is  recorded  that  when  He 
was  on  trial  in  the  Sanhedrin  the  High 
Priest  said,  "I  adjure  thee,  by  the  living 
God,  that  thou  tell  us  whether  thou  be 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  and  that  He 
answered,  in  the  strongest  possible  form  of 
affirmation,  "  Thou  hast  said !  Neverthe- 
less, I  say  unto  you,  hereafter  ye  shall  see 
the  Son  of  Man  sitting  on  the  right  hand 
of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds  of 
heaven."  We  are  given  to  understand  that 
the  High  Priest  regarded  this  as  a  distinct 
claim  of  equality  with  God  ;  for  he  straight- 
way rent  his  clothes,  crying,  "He  hath 
59 


In  the  Upper  Room 

spoken  blasphemy !  What  further  need 
have  we  of  witnesses  ?  Ye  have  heard  His 
blasphemy.  What  think  ye?"  And  with 
one  accord  they  answered,  "  He  is  guilty 
of  death."  One  word  of  recantation  would 
have  saved  Him  from  the  Cross  ;  but  He 
did  not  utter  it !  He  thus  died  for  making 
Himself  equal  with  God. 

And  based  upon  this  teaching  of  God 
the  Son,  we  have  another  profound  promise 
given  to  His  disciples.  It  refers  to  their 
own  service  and  equipment.  "  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth  on  me, 
the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also  ;  and 
greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do,  because 
I  go  unto  my  Father."  This  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  in  going  to  the  Father  He 
was  to  send  them  the  Holy  Ghost  to  equip 
them  for  service.  It  is  obvious  that  the 
greater  works  to  which  He  referred  were 
not  miracles  of  healing ;  since  as  a 
matter  of  fact  their  miracles  of  healing 
were  not  greater  than  His.  The  reference 
is  to  the  pre-eminent  miracle  of  bringing 
souls  to  God. 

60 


The  Triune  God 

The  visible  results  of  the  evangelism  of 
Jesus  during  His  ministry  were  compara- 
tively meagre.  At  the  time  of  His  ascension 
there  were  approximately  but  five  hundred 
converts  to  show  for  it.  But  in  sending 
the  Holy  Ghost,  He  laid  the  foundation 
for  greater  works  to  be  accomplished  by 
His  disciples.  At  Pentecost  no  less  than 
three  thousand  were  converted  by  the  preach- 
ing of  Peter  in  a  single  day.  And,  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  such  greater 
works  have  been  going  on  ever  since. 

In  the  Methodist  revival  under  the 
Wesleys  it  was  estimated  that  eighty 
thousand  souls  were  converted  to  Christ. 
And  what  shall  we  say  more  ?  The  time 
would  fail  us  to  tell  of  Whitefield,  and 
Finney  and  Moody  and  other  evangelists 
who  have  made  countless  prisoners  of  hope. 
All  this  because  Christ,  in  leaving  His 
disciples,  put  them  under  the  control  and 
direction  of  the  Spirit  of  power  and  of 
conquest.  His  promise  was,  "Ye  shall 
receive  power  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  come  upon  you.**  And  that  was  a 
6i 


In  the  Upper  Room 

perpetual  gift  as  He  said,  "  He  shall  abide 
with  you  for  ever/*  The  baptism  of  power 
is  for  all  who  are  willing  to  receive  it. 

3.  God  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"  If  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will 
not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart,  I 
will  send  him  unto  you  "  (John  xvi.  7). 

Let  it  be  observed  that  He  consistently 
speaks  of  the  Holy  Ghost  as  a  person  ; 
not  as  an  influence  or  effluence,  or  as  any- 
thing else  that  can  be  characterised  by  the 
neuter  pronoun  "  it."  The  influence  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  may  be  thus  designated  ;  but 
He  Himself  is  set  forth  as  a  personality  no 
less  real  than  the  Father  or  the  Son. 

He  is  here  represented  as  one  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  He  is  in  vital  union 
with  them,  and  in  absolute  accord  as  to  all 
plans  and  purposes  respecting  the  welfare 
of  men. 

He  is  spoken  of  as  proceeding  from  both 

the    Father    and    the    Son.     At   this   point 

we  note  the  historic  discussion  which  arose 

in   the   formulating   of  the   Nicene   Creed. 

62 


The  Triune  God 

The  question  was  whether  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  sent  by  the  Father  only  or  by  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  The  controversy 
about  the  word  "  Filioque  "  resulted  in  the 
separation  of  the  Eastern  and  the  Western 
Church,  which  has  continued  until  this  day. 
The  teaching  of  Christ  in  these  premises 
is  clear.  He  affirms  that,  as  He  was  sent 
by  the  Father  to  accomplish  the  work  of 
redemption,  so  the  Holy  Ghost  is  sent  by 
the  Father  and  the  Son  (cf.  xiv.  i6  and 
26  with  XV.  26)  to  continue  and  conclude 
that  work  until  the  world  shall  be  restored 
to  God. 

The  Holy  Ghost  is  represented  also  as 
the  revealer  of  the  Son.  "  He  shall  not 
speak  of  himself. — He  shall  teach  you  all 
things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  re- 
membrance, whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you. 

The  reticence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  with 
reference  to  Himself  is  a  fact  of  which  every 
Christian  is  conscious  in  personal  experience. 
It  is  an  equally  precious  and  obvious  truth 
that  He  is  ever  bringing  to  our  remembrance 

63 


In  the  Upper  Room 

the  things  which  Jesus  said,  and  showing 
us  more  and  more  of  Him. 

In  short,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  executive 
of  the  administration  under  which  we  are 
living.  It  may  be  said  that  there  have  been 
three  administrations  or  economies  in  history 
thus  far  :  that  of  the  Father,  which  continued 
until  the  advent ;  that  of  Christ,  which  was 
for  a  brief  period  of  thirty  years  ;  and  that 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  from  then  until  now. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  ministry  of  Christ 
the  reins  of  government  were  transferred 
to  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  continues  in  control 
of  the  affairs  of  this  world  until  the  restitu- 
tion of  all  things. 

The  Christian  knows  Him  as  the  Com- 
forter or  Paraclete,  that  is,  "one  called  to 
our  side."  In  times  of  sorrow,  of  bereave- 
ment or  adversity.  He  is  ever  present  to 
help  and  sustain  us. 

The  truth-seeker  knows  Him  as  the  Spirit 
of  truth.  Jesus  said,  "  He  shall  teach  you 
all  things. — He  shall  lead  you  into  all 
truth "  :  that  is,  so  far  as  such  knowledge 
is  necessary  or  desirable.     One  of  the  official 

64 


The  Triune  God 

functions  of  the  Spirit  is  to  throw  light 
upon  the  pages  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  to 
open  the  eyes  of  the  truth-seeker  that  he 
may  be  able  to  understand  it. 

The  Church  knows  Him  as  the  energiser, 
who  provides  all  necessary  equipment  for 
service.  He  Is  called,  therefore,  the  Spirit 
of  power.  The  pentecostal  baptism  of  fire 
and  power  is  from  Him.  All  the  great 
enterprises  of  evangelisation  are  led  and 
controlled  by  Him. 

4.  The  One  in  Three. 

Having  surveyed  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
as  to  the  nature  of  God  in  this  wonderful 
chapter,  we  find  ourselves  apparently  in  a 
grave  difficulty.  He  affirms  that  the  Father 
is  God  ;  also  that  the  Son  is  God  ;  also  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  God.  Are  we  then  to 
conclude  that  He  believed  in  three  Gods  ? 
It  not,  why  not  ?  The  dilemma  is  obvious  ; 
how  shall  we  escape  it  ? 

If  it  be  clear  that  Christ  taught  the  God- 
hood  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  ot 
the  Holy  Ghost,  it  is  equally  clear  that  He 

65 


In  the  Upper  Room 

believed  that  there  is  only  one  God.  Over 
and  over  again  He  affirmed  this  ;  as  when 
he  said  to  the  woman  of  Samaria,  "  God  is 
a  spirit ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  As  a  loyal 
Jew  He  stood  committed  to  the  truth  of 
the  Scriptures,  whose  opening  words  are, 
"  In  the  beginning  God,"  and  whose  con- 
sistent teaching  is  that  there  is  only  one  God, 
and  that  there  is  no  other  beside  Him. 

A  scribe  once  came  to  Jesus  asking, 
"  Which  is  the  first  commandment  of  all  ?  " 
He  answered  —  pointing  perhaps  to  the 
frontlet  which  the  scribe  wore  upon  his 
forehead  bearing  this  inscription — "  Hear,  O 
Israel ;  the  Lord  thy  God  is  one  Lord  :  and 
thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with 
all  thy  mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength."  In 
His  whole  teaching  He  insisted  on  the 
validity  and  binding  force  of  the  Decalogue, 
as  the  great  symbol  of  the  moral  law,  whose 
foundation  is  laid  in  the  words,  "  I  am  the 
Lord  thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house 
66 


The  Triune  God 

of  bondage  ;  thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods 
before  me." 

But  how  could  God  be  one  and  still  be 
three  ?  Here  emerges  the  mystery  of  the 
ineffable  Trinity.  And,  be  it  observed, 
Christ  does  not  here  or  elsewhere  undertake 
to  explain  it.  Why  should  He  ?  If  there 
are  State  secrets  in  connection  with  the 
administration  of  every  secular  government, 
shall  there  be  none  in  the  government  of 
God? 

If  we  refuse  to  accept  what  we  cannot 
comprehend,  we  shall  find  ourselves  in 
trouble  on  every  hand  and  every  moment 
of  the  day.  We  live  in  a  world  full  of 
mysteries  that  nobody  can  explain.  There 
is  more  of  mystery  in  a  single  eyelash  or 
drop  of  blood  than  any  scientist  on  earth 
can  find  out.  A  man  is  tripartite,  con- 
sisting of  body,  soul  and  spirit ;  explain 
that  if  you  can.  Call  all  your  scientists 
and  philosophers  in  council  to  define  life, 
or  to  make  clear  the  influence  of  mind  over 
matter,  and  they  will  confess  themselves  at 
their  wits'  end.     Tell  me  how  my  hand  is 

67 


In  the  Upper  Room 

lifted  at  the  behest  of  my  will  and  I  will 
undertake  to  make  perfectly  clear  not  only 
the  problem  of  the  Triune  God,  but  every 
other  mystery  in  the  province  of  the  spiritual 
life. 

In  point  of  fact,  all  that  we  can  demand  is 
that  a  proposition  laid  before  us  shall  not  be 
contrarational.  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity 
is  mysterious,  but  not  more  so  than  ten 
thousand  other  facts  which  are  received  with- 
out demur  because  we  cannot  avoid  it.  Let 
it  suffice  that  our  Lord  affirms  this  doctrine 
as  a  fact.  God  is  three  persons  in  one  sub- 
stance ;  he  is  Tri-unity,  or  three  in  one. 
This  baffles  but  does  not  contradict  our 
reason  ;  wherefore  we  can  affiord  to  leave 
the  solution  of  the  problem  with  Him  :  as  it 
is  written,  "Be  still,  and  know  that  I  am 
God." 

The  interview  of  Jesus  with  His  disciples 
now  under  consideration  closes  with  the 
words,  "These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you  while  yet  abiding  with  you  ;  but  the 
Comforter  .  .  .  shall  teach  you  all  things."  It 
may  be  that  under  the  influence  of  the  Spirit 
68 


The  Triune  God 

we  shall  ultimately  have  a  clearer  conception 
of  the  nature  of  God.  We  certainly  shall,  if 
God  deems  it  profitable  for  us.  Meanwhile 
let  us  rest  in  what  He  has  been  pleased  to 
make  known  to  us. 

The  benediction  is  this  :  "  Peace  I  leave 
with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you  :  not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let 
not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid."  Thanks  be  to  God  for  that  sweet 
bequest !  The  secret  of  peace  is  in  taking 
Christ  at  His  word. 

The  bulk  of  our  unrest,  ot  our  doubt  and 
despondency,  is  due  to  prying  into  secrets 
that  do  not  concern  us.  "  The  glory  of  God 
is  to  conceal  a  thing."  Alas  !  that  we  should 
call  ourselves  disciples,  and  still  be  unwilling 
to  follow  in  the  path  marked  out.  To  sit  at 
the  Master's  feet  and  hearken  to  His  teaching, 
willing  to  accept  His  word  and  heed  His 
bidding,  this  is  to  find  the  peace  that  passeth 
all  understanding  ;  this  is  to  enter  into  the 
assurance  of  faith  ;  this  is  to  rest  in  Him, 
having  our  lives  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 


69 


In  the  Upper  Room 


Note. 

The  words  at  the  close  of  chap,  xiv., 
"Arise,  let  us  go  hence,"  do  not  mean  that 
the  meeting  was  here  broken  up.  Nor  do 
they  signify  that  Christ  left  the  house  with 
His  disciples  and  continued  His  discourse  on 
the  way  to  Gethsemane,  or  (as  Lightfoot  in- 
timates) at  Bethany  a  week  later.  Nor  do 
they  suggest  (as  held  by  Alford  and  others) 
that  He  rose  from  the  table  and  stood  during 
the  remainder  of  the  interview.  Nor  is  it 
necessary  to  suppose  that  the  words  referred 
to  are  out  of  place,  and  belong  further  on. 
The  feast,  of  which  Christ  and  His  disciples 
had  been  partaking,  being  now  concluded, 
they  would  naturally  leave  the  guest-chamber 
with  its  disordered  table  and  adjourn  to  some 
other  room,  or  possibly  to  an  open  court. 
At  this  point  the  circle  of  hearers  was  prob- 
ably enlarged  by  the  addition  of  the  good- 
man  with  his  wife  and  servants  and  other 
followers  of  Christ.  The  remainder  of  the 
discourse  would  therefore  have  a  larger  scope 
than  when  the  Master  was  speaking  to  the 
Twelve  alone  ;  and  so  we  shall  find  it. 


70 


V. 

THE  CHRISTIAN. 
(John  XV.) 

It  is  recorded  that  the  disciples  **  were  first 
called  Christians  in  Antioch."  The  name 
was  probably  given  in  derision  ;  but  it  was 
accepted  as  a  designation  of  honour.  Peter 
wrote,  "If  a  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  let 
him  not  be  ashamed  ;  but  let  him  glorify 
God  in  this  name."  In  one  of  the  prayers 
of  the  Clementine  Liturgy  we  find  these 
words  :  "  We  give  Thee  thanks  that  we  are 
called  by  the  name  of  Christ,  and  are  thus 
reckoned  as  Thine  own." 

If  we  look  in  the  Dictionary  for  a  defini- 
tion, we  shall  find  it  given  thus  :  "  Christian  : 
a  believer  in  Christ."  The  poet  Alexander 
Pope,  himself  an  unbeliever,  defined  a  Chris- 
tian as  "the  highest  style  of  man."  The 
71 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Karens  were  accustomed  to  call  Adoniram 
Judson,  their  missionary,  "Jesus  Christ's 
man."  This  approaches  very  nearly  the 
definition  given  by  Christ  Himself  in  the 
parable  of  the  Vine  and  its  Branches,  in 
which  it  is  made  to  appear  that  a  Christian 
is  one  who  is  in  vital  union  with  Him. 

We  have  in  this  parable  the  biography  ol* 
a  Christian  in  brief. 

Firsty  as  to  his  birth. — This  occurs  when 
one  accepts  Christ.  It  is  a  new  birth,  or 
"gain-birth,"  as  the  early  Christians  were 
accustomed  to  call  it.  It  is  a  veritable  re- 
generation, a  turning  "  right-about  face  "  ;  as 
when  Saul  of  Tarsus,  one  moment  "breath- 
ing out  slaughter  "  against  the  followers  of 
Christ,  the  next  moment  heard  Christ  calling 
him,  and  answered,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do  ?  " 

It  is  a  coming  out  of  the  world  ;  as  Christ 
says,  *'  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world  ; 
wherefore  the  world  hateth  you."  The  Chris- 
tian is  uncompromisingly  at  odds  with  the 
world  ;  inasmuch  as  he  lives  not  for  the  things 
that  are  seen  and  temporal,  but  for  the  things 
72 


The  Christian 

which    are    unseen    and    eternal.      In   other 
words,  he  is  in  the  world,  but  not  of  it. 

In  coming  out  of  the  world  he  comes  not 
only  unto  Christ  but  into  Him  ;  so  that 
thenceforth  he  can  say,  "  My  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God." 

It  is  just  as  well  to  understand  this  matter  ; 
since  the  tendency  of  present-day  religion  is 
to  eliminate  Christ  from  Christianity,  by 
reducing  it  either  to  a  system  of  theology 
or  a  code  of  benevolent  ethics.  If  Christ's 
own  definition  of  Christianity  is  correct,  then 
He  cannot  be  bowed  off  the  premises  in 
this  way.  The  Christian  is  related  to  Christ 
precisely  as  the  branch  is  to  the  vine.  The 
union  is  absolutely  vital  :  so  vital  that  Christ 
is  everything  to  him  ;  Alpha  and  Omega,  the 
beginning  of  every  purpose  and  the  end  of 
every  aspiration  ;  first,  last,  midst,  and  all  in 
all. 

Second,  as  to  his  manner  of  life. — This  is 
elsewhere  briefly  and  comprehensively  set 
forth  in  the  word  "  follow  " — a  great  word 
which  cannot  be  too  deeply  impressed  upon 
us. 

1Z 


In  the  Upper  Room 

The  Christian  follows  Christ  as  a  disciple 
or  pupil.  This  means,  if  it  means  anything, 
that  he  believes  what  his  Lord  believes,  and 
accepts  His  teaching  as  final.  He  has  no 
philosophy  of  his  own,  no  theology  of  his 
own,  no  ethics  of  his  own.  No  matter  what 
the  books  say,  no  matter  what  others  think  ; 
the  word  of  the  divine  Teacher  is  ultimate 
for  him.  In  his  desire  to  know  about  the 
personality  of  God,  the  veracity  of  Scripture, 
the  Incarnation,  the  Atonement,  the  Resur- 
rection, or  any  other  problem  of  the  spiritual 
life,  he  asks  only  what  his  Teacher  has  to 
say  about  it.  This  ends  all  controversy  for 
him. 

The  fact  is  that  when  a  man  has  accepted 
Christ  as  the  only-begotten  Son  of  God,  he 
has  resolved  the  one  problem  which  is  the 
key  to  all  others.  For  Christ  is  not  merely 
a  Teacher  of  truth  ;  He  is  The  Truth  ;  so 
that  the  quest  ends  in  Him. 

And  the  Christian  follows  also  as  a  servant. 
The  test  is  indicated  in  the  words,  "  If  ye  do 
whatsoever  I  command  you."  The  Chris- 
tian's rule  of  conduct  is  to  do  what  pleases 
74 


The  Christian 

Christ.  This  is  his  complete  system  of 
ethics.  He  avoids  sin  on  the  one  hand, 
because  his  Lord  hates  it ;  and  aspires  after 
holiness  on  the  other,  because  his  Lord  en- 
joins it.  To  know  his  Lord's  will  is  to  do 
it.  There  is  no  questioning,  no  faltering,  no 
further  reasoning  about  it. 

He  follows  Christ,  also,  as  his  friend.  A 
great  word  this  !  "  No  longer  do  I  call  you 
servants,  for  the  servant  knoweth  not  what 
his  Lord  doeth  ;  but  I  have  called  you 
friends,  for  all  things  that  I  heard  from  my 
Father  I  have  made  known  unto  you."  The 
one  thing  in  particular  which  was  held  in  the 
mutual  confidence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son 
was  the  Eternal  plan  for  the  salvation  of  the 
world  ;  and  with  respect  to  this  matter  the 
Lord  takes  His  disciples  into  His  confidence, 
into  the  very  innermost  place  of  His  pavilion, 
where  He  reveals  to  them  this  wonderful 
purpose  of  God. 

Third^  as  to  the  business  of  the  Christian, — 

It   is,  in  simple    terms,  to    lend  a  hand   in 

carrying   out  the  purpose  of  God.      Christ 

says  that  He  was  sent  into  the  world  "  to  seek 

75 


In  the  Upper  Room 

and  to  save  the  lost."  And  He  says  further, 
"  As  the  Father  has  sent  me  into  the  world 
so  send  I  you."  The  inference  is  plain;  the 
business  of  the  Christian  is  to  seek  and  save. 
It  was  to  this  end  that  Christ  Himself  "  went 
about  doing  good."  His  miracles  of  healing 
were  merely  incidental  to  His  great  purpose, 
which  was  to  deliver  men  from  the  shame 
and  bondage  of  sin. 

The  business  of  the  Christian,  as  thus  set 
forth,  is  indicated  in  the  word  "  fruit "  ;  on 
which  our  Lord  in  this  parable  lays  the 
deepest  possible  emphasis.  He  iterates  and 
reiterates  it ;  "  fruit,"  "  much  fruit,"  "  more 
fruit "  ;  "  so  shall  ye  be  my  disciples."  It 
is  greatly  to  be  feared  that  we  have  in  large 
measure  lost  this  keynote  of  our  Master's 
teaching.  We  place  the  grave  emphasis  on 
personal  character  and  social  benevolence 
rather  than  on  the  winning  of  souls.  "  This 
ought  ye  to  have  done,  and  not  to  leave  the 
other  undone."  To  follow  Christ  is  to  be 
continually  ^*  doing  good  as  we  have  oppor- 
tunity unto  all  men " ;  but  the  objective 
point  of  all  our  doing  is  to  join  hands 
76 


The  Christian 

with  Christ  in  bringing  the  world  back  to 
God. 

Fourth^  as  to  the  Christian* s  preparation  for 
his  business, — The  branch  is  not  left  to  take 
care  of  itself;  the  Father  and  the  Son  unite 
in  taking  care  of  it. 

The  "Father  is  the  husbandman."  As 
such  he  looks  after  the  fruitfulness  of  the 
branches.  The  question  is  asked,  "  Does 
God  send  trouble  ? ''  As  well  ask,  Does 
the  husbandman  enter  the  vineyard  with  a 
pruning-knife  ?  The  Master  says,  *^  Every 
branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit  he  taketh 
away  ;  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit 
he  cleanseth  (or  pruneth)  it,  that  it  may 
bear  more  fruit."  Here  is  the  clue  to  the 
mystery  of  discipline.  It  is  not  a  mis- 
fortune but  a  privilege — one  of  the  highest 
privileges  of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  an 
evidence  of  sonship  ;  as  Paul  says,  "  God 
dealeth  with  you  as  with  sons  ;  for  what 
son  is  there  whom  his  father  chasteneth 
not?  But  if  ye  are  without  chastening, 
then  are  ye  bastards  and  not  sons.  We 
have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  to  chasten 
77 


In  the  Upper  Room 

us  and  we  gave  them  reverence  ;  shall  we 
not  much  rather  be  in  subjection  unto  the 
Father  of  our  spirits  and  live  ?  For  they 
indeed  chastened  us  as  seemed  good  to 
them,  but  he  for  our  profit "  ;  that  is,  that 
we  might  be  better  qualified  for  service. 
The  husbandman  cuts  back  all  rank  and 
useless  growth,  that  the  branch  may  bear 
more  fruit  for  him. 

And  the  Son  conspires  with  the  Father 
in  preparing  us  for  service.  His  work  is 
that  of  constant  communion  with  us.  This 
is  set  forth  in  the  word  "  abide "  ;  which 
is  also  deeply  emphasised.  "Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear 
fruit  of  itself  except  as  it  abide  in  the  vine, 
so  neither  can  ye  except  ye  abide  in  me. 
He  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him,  the 
same  beareth  much  fruit ;  for  apart  from 
me  ye  can  do  nothing." 

In  this  "  abiding  "  we  have  the  true  con- 
ception of  prayer.  I  say  nothing  against 
the  stated  acts  of  prayer  ;  but  urge  rather 
that  spirit  of  prayer  which  gives  its  only 
value    and    significance    to    the    occasional 

78 


The  Christian 

bending  of  the  knees.  We  are  enjoined 
to  "pray  without  ceasing,"  that  is,  to  be 
In  constant  communion  with  Christ ;  not 
only  when  we  bow  at  the  mercy-seat,  but 
every  hour  of  the  day. 

Is  it  possible  thus  to  abide  in  Christ? 
The  man  who  leaves  his  home  in  the  morn- 
ing seems  to  part  company  with  his  wife, 
but  does  he?  In  his  shop  or  office  he  is 
so  absorbed  in  secular  cares  that  perhaps 
he  never  thinks  of  her  ;  yet  there  Is  never 
a  moment  of  the  day  when  he  and  the 
elect  lady  are  not  one ;  so  vitally  one 
that  the  indwelling  assurance  of  her  love 
is  the  inspiration  of  everything  he  does. 
So  the  Christian  may  not  always  be  thinking 
of  Christ ;  but  deep  down  in  his  subcon- 
sciousness there  is  the  joy  in  His  presence. 
The  promise  holds  good:  "Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway :  I  will  never  leave  thee  nor 
forsake  thee."  And  this,  consciously  or 
unconsciously,  is  the  great  dynamic  of 
the  Christian's  life. 

It  is  to  those  who  thus  continue  in  prayer 
without  ceasing  that  the  promise  applies, 
79 


In  the  Upper  Room 

"If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide 
m  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it 
shall  be  done  unto  you."  This  promise 
is  absolutely  unlimited  ;  but  it  is  conditioned 
on  our  abiding  in  Him.  The  man  who 
supposes  that  he  can  kneel  down  and  make 
his  requests  and  then  cut  loose  and  go  as 
he  pleases,  has  no  claim  whatever  on  that 
promise  ;  but  he  who  abides  in  fraternal 
relation  with  Christ  and  filial  relation  with 
God,  may  literally  ask  what  he  will  with  an 
assurance  that  it  shall  be  given  unto  him. 

And  closely  allied  with  this  communion 
of  the  believer  with  Christ,  as  a  preparation 
for  service,  is  his  communion  with  other 
believers.  The  branches  are  one  in  the 
vine.  There  is,  therefore,  no  break  in  the 
continuity  of  the  parable  when  Christ  says, 
"  These  things  I  command  you,  that  ye  love 
one  another."  A  Christian  will  naturally 
incline  towards  those  of  his  own  house- 
hold, even  as  birds  of  a  feather  flock  to- 
gether. He  is  bound  to  them  by  a  singular 
tie.  He  calls  them  "  brethren  "  because  he 
is  brought  into  spiritual  kinship  with  them 
80 


The  Christian 

by  Christ,  who  is  the  elder  brother  of  them 
all. 

It  is  in  this  connection  that  Christ  lays 
down  the  new  commandment,  "  that  ye  love 
one  another,  even  as  I  have  loved  you."  Let 
us  ask  again.  Why  should  this  be  called  a 
"  new  commandment  "  ?  Wherein  does  it 
differ  from  the  old  commandment,  "Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself"  ;  or 
from  the  Golden  Rule,  "Do  as  ye  would 
be  done  by "  ?  In  this,  that  the  disciples 
are  to  love  one  another  not  as  they  love 
themselves,  but  "  even  as  Christ  loved  them." 
There  is  a  vast  difference  here.  Self  is 
wholly  ruled  out  of  the  reckoning  in  this 
case.  Christ's  love  was  a  self-denying,  self- 
forgetful,  self-sacrificing  love  ;  so  must  theirs 
be.  To  realise  this  is  to  grow  strong  in 
the  fellowship  of  the  Church,  which  is  "  the 
body  of  Christ."  Herein  lies  the  secret  of 
the  communion  of  saints.  The  more  closely 
we  commune  with  Christ,  the  more  devoutly 
and  intensely  do  we  love  His  people  ;  even 
as  the  branches  draw  nearer  to  each  other 
as  they  approach  the  vine.  And  all  this  is 
8i 


In  the  Upper  Room 

preparatory  and  conducive  to  fruit-bearing, 
that  is,  faithful  service  as  "  fishers  of  men." 

Fifthy  as  to  the  Christian  s  destiny, — He  is 
saved,  as  a  matter  of  course.  So  much  is 
taken  for  granted.  The  branch  is  in  no 
possible  danger  while  it  abides  in  the  vine. 
Let  no  true  Christian  worry  about  his 
salvation.  The  branch  is  not  expected  to 
prune  itself,  or  cultivate  itself,  or  preserve 
its  own  life.  The  Vine  looks  after  that. 
Just  here  is  the  difference  between  Bunyan's 
Christian  and  Christ's  Christian.  The 
pilgrim  who  set  out  from  the  City  oi 
Destruction  was  deeply  concerned  about 
his  own  welfare.  He  was  constantly  getting 
into  trouble  in  the  Slough  of  Despond  and 
under  the  shadow  of  Doubting  Castle,  and 
all  the  while  keeping  his  eye  on  the  far-ofr 
Celestial  City  in  a  more  or  less  desperate 
hope  of  reaching  it.  But  Christ's  Christian 
is  a  self-forgetful  man,  so  busily  engaged  in 
doing  for  others  that  he  must  needs  content 
himself  with  the  assurance  of  faith.  It  is 
enough  that  he  can  say,  "  I  know  whom  I 
have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is 
82 


The  Christian 

able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed 
unto  him  against  that  day." 

The  one  thing  about  which  this  Christian 
busies  himself  is  fruit.  He  follows  his 
Lord  in  self-denying  service  in  the  behalf 
of  men.  He  sees  his  friends  and  associates 
groping  in  the  dark,  like  blind  men  feeling 
their  way  along  the  wall,  and  he  brings  them 
to  Jesus  that  they  may  find  everlasting  life. 
These  are  the  clusters  of  this  fruitful  branch. 
The  true  Christian,  like  his  Master,  has  a 
burning  passion  for  souls. 

He  hopes  some  day  to  win  the  com- 
mendation, "  Well  done,  good  servant :  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  What  is 
this  "joy  of  the  Lord"?  It  is  the  joy  of 
beholding  "the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul,"  a  multitude  saved  by  his  vicarious 
pain.  This  was  in  the  mind  of  Jesus  when 
He  said,  "  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto 
you,  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that 
your  joy  may  be  made  full."  The  eternal 
joy  of  the  Christian  will  be  in  the  realisation 
of  the  promise,  "  They  that  be  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and 

83 


In  the  Upper  Room 

they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever.**  This  is  the  con- 
summation and  final  success  of  life.  For  as 
Jesus  said,  "  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified, 
that  ye  bear  much  fruit "  ;  and  it  is  a  true 
saying,  "  The  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify 
God." 

Finally^  as  to  the  Christian's  death, — Not 
a  word  is  said  about  it !  The  fruitful  branch 
shall  abide  for  ever  in  the  vine.  The  Chris- 
tian never  dies. 

But  what  of  the  unfruitful  branch  ?  "  It  is 
cast  forth,  and  is  withered  ;  and  men  gather 
them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they 
are  burned."  The  reference  here  is  not  to 
final  punishment,  but  to  the  removal  of  the 
unprofitable.  They  are  disposed  of  like 
the  dead  leaves  of  autumn.  Their  doom  is 
eternal  unprofitableness ;  as  Jesus  said  of 
the  fig-tree  that  put  forth  professional  leaves 
but  bore  no  figs,  "  No  man  eat  fruit  of  thee 
for  ever."     Oh,  dreadful  fate  ! 

But  the  fruitful  branch  is  never  severed 
from  the  vine.  Death  to  the  Christian  is 
merely  an  episode   in   life.      He  closes  his 

84 


The  Christian 

eyes,  opens  them,  and  goes  living  right  on. 
He  that  has  borne  fruit  shall  continue  to 
bear  fruit,  more  fruit,  for  ever  !  His  death 
is  promotion.  He  has  served  an  apprentice- 
ship here  which  fits  him  for  higher  tasks 
further  on.  This  is  his  "penny  at  even- 
ing." This  is  everlasting  life  :  to  be  living 
eternally  to  the  glory  of  God  ! 

Is  this  too  high  a  standard  of  the  Christian 
life  ?  It  is,  alas  !  so  high  that  all  fall  short 
of  it.  There  is  not  one  who  must  not  say, 
"  1  count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended  "  ; 
but  blessed  is  he  who  can  add,  "This  one 
thing  I  do  :  I  stretch  forth  unto  the  things 
which  are  before,  and  press  toward  the 
mark  !  " 

In  this  parable  an  ideal  is  presented  ;  and 
the  best  we  can  say  for  ourselves  is  that  we 
aspire  toward  it.  If  we  are  blamed  by  those 
who  are  not  Christians  for  falling  short,  let 
me  remind  them  of  the  words  that  were 
written  by  the  painter  ApoUodorus  above 
his  pictures  in  the  pagan  temples  :  "  'Tis  no 
hard  thing  to  reprehend  me ;  but  let  the 
men  that  blame  me  mend  me."     It  is  not 

85 


In  the  Upper  Room 

an  easy  thing  to  live  a  Christian  life.     Let 
them  try  it. 

But,  oh,  it  is  sublime  to  aim  so  high. 
We  are  not  what  we  ought  to  be  ;  we  are 
not  what  we  mean  to  be  ;  but  by  the  grace 
of  God  we  are  what  we  are.  And  blessed 
be  His  name,  we  have  all  eternity  before  us  ! 
The  Master  said,  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  A  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be 
hid.  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify 
God."  If  we  here  reflect  too  dimly  the 
light  that  shines  so  splendidly  in  our 
Saviour's  face,  we  find  comfort  in  the  hope 
that  in  the  passing  aeons  of  eternity  our 
path  shall  be  as  the  light  which  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day. 


86 


VI, 


THE  DISPENSATION  OF  THE 
HOLY  GHOST. 

(Johnxvi.  5-15.) 

The  Lord  had  already  spoken  to  the  Twelve 
of  the  coming  of  the  Comforter  ;  He  has  now 
something  to  say  respecting  the  same  matter 
to  the  larger  assembly,  which  represented  not 
the  ministry  alone,  but  the  entire  Church. 

I.  The  Dispensation  of  the  Spirit. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  the  expediency  of 
Christ's  coming  into  this  world  ;  for  what  a 
dreary,  sunless  world  it  would  have  been 
without  Him  !  It  is  easy  to  see,  moreover, 
that  it  was  expedient  for  Him  to  remain  here 
in  order  to  teach  truth  and  righteousness, 
and  lay  the  foundations  of  His  Kingdom 
among  men.  But  how  could  it  be  expedient 
that  He  should  go  away  ? 

87 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Was  it  on  account  of  the  limitations  of  the 
flesh  ?  His  purpose  was  to  be  a  universal 
Saviour  ;  His  gospel  was  for  all  the  children 
of  men  ;  yet  here  He  was,  "  cabin'd,  cribbed, 
confined,"  in  the  smallest  of  small  parishes, 
in  a  remote  corner  of  the  world.  The 
problem  before  Him  was  like  that  of 
Archimedes,  who  affirmed  that  he  could  lift 
the  world  if  only  he  might  find  a  place  for 
the  fulcrum  of  his  lever.  But  obviously 
the  place  for  the  fulcrum  of  a  lever  that 
lifts  the  world  must  be  outside  of  it.  The 
great  men  of  history  have  all  had  to  "  go 
away  "  in  order  to  wield  the  full  measure  of 
their  influence.  The  living  among  us  are 
the  dead.  The  men  who  are  dominating 
our  affairs  are  not  those  who  have  the 
trumpet  at  their  lips,  but  those  who  have 
gone  into  God's  acre,  many  of  them  lying 
in  unknown  graves,  unwept,  unhonoured 
and  unsung.  The  influence  of  Jesus,  while 
He  sojourned  as  a  man  among  men,  was 
inconsiderable  as  compared  with  that  which 
He  exerted  afterward.  He  succeeded  in 
gathering  a  little  group  of  fishermen  and 
88 


Dispensation  of  the   Holy  Ghost 

other  humble  folk  about  Him  ;  and  that 
apparently  was  all.  His  announced  plan 
was  to  revolutionise  history  and  turn  the 
world  upside  down ;  and  this  meagre 
following  was  all  there  was  to  show  for  it ! 
All  bodily  presence  is  weak.  It  seemed 
impossible  for  Jesus  to  impress  upon  His 
disciples  an  adequate  thought  of  His  divine 
nature  and  authority  so  long  as  they  were 
able  to  say,  "  Behold,  he  is  with  us  and  one 
among  us."  One  night  while  they  were 
rowing  across  the  Sea  of  Galilee  the  storm 
rose  suddenly,  and  they  were  overwhelmed 
with  fear.  What  then  was  their  Master's 
power  to  them  ?  Yet  He  was  only  three 
miles  away  !  So  sensuous  was  their  faith 
that  it  reached  only  to  their  finger-tips.  For 
their  sake,  therefore,  as  well  as  for  the  world's 
sake,  He  must  vanish  out  of  their  sight ; 
like  Lycurgus,  who,  having  prepared  a  code 
of  laws  for  Sparta,  and  perceiving  that  his 
personal  presence  was  a  hindrance  to  the 
just  observance  of  that  code,  mysteriously 
disappeared  and  was  never  again  seen  among 
men.     But  he  left  his  influence  behind  him. 

89 


In  the  Upper  Room 

It  was  because  he  found  the  fulcrum  of  his 
lever  outside  the  world  that  his  name  is 
mentioned  among  the  great  lawgivers  of 
the  world  to-day. 

But  Christ  has  nothing  to  say  here  of 
such  considerations  as  these.  The  reason 
which  He  gives  for  His  going  away,  is  that 
He  was  to  leave  behind  Him  a  bequest  which 
should  be  a  manifold  equivalent  for  every 
loss.  "  If  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will 
not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will 
send  him  unto  you." 

So  He  said  farewell  and  went  His  way. 
What  then  ?  For  a  time  His  followers  were 
overwhelmed  with  sorrow,  feeling  that  all 
was  over.  "  I  go  a-fishing,"  said  one  ;  and 
the  others  said,  "  We  also  go  with  thee." 

But  after  His  resurrection,  Christ  reap- 
peared and  remained  with  His  disciples  forty 
days,  long  enough  to  satisfy  them  that 
whereas  He  had  died  He  was  now  alive  for 
evermore,  and  to  mark  out  for  them  the 
plan  of  a  campaign  which  was  to  eventuate 
in  the  restoration  of  the  world  to  God.  At 
the  close  of  that  period  He  met  them  at 
90 


Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

Olivet,  breathed  on  them,  saying,  "  Receive 
ye  the  Holy  Ghost !  "  and  gave  them  the 
great  commission,  "  Go,  evangelise  1  "  Then 
the  heavens  opened  to  receive  Him. 

Ten  days  later,  while  the  disciples  were 
praying  in  an  open  court  in  Jerusalem,  the 
Spirit  came  with  a  sound  as  of  a  rushing, 
mighty  wind  ;  and  the  beginning  of  the  new 
administration  was  signalised  by  the  conver- 
sion of  three  thousand  souls  in  a  single  day ! 

We  are  living  in  this  dispensation  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  it  is  obviously  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  we  should  understand  the 
meaning  of  it.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  not  an 
impersonal  something  or  other  ;  an  influence 
felt  in  a  vague,  indefinable  way.  He  is  the 
third  person  of  the  Godhead.  His  person- 
ality is  as  real  as  that  of  the  Father  or  that 
of  the  Son.  He  is  the  Executive  of  this 
dispensation ;  under  whose  authority  and 
control  we  as  followers  of  Christ  meet  all 
responsibilities  and  discharge  all  duties. 

It  is  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  since 
Jesus  advised  His  disciples  that  they  were 
to  act  thenceforth  under  this  direction  ;  and 
91 


In  the  Upper  Room 

there  are  still  twelve  hundred  millions  of 
people  in  the  world  who  have  never  heard  or 
are  wholly  unconvinced  by  His  gospel !  Nor 
can  the  Church  expect  to  realise  its  best 
possibilities  so  long  as  its  ministers  and 
members  fail  to  recognise  the  leadership  of 
the  Spirit,  and  the  fact  that  they  themselves, 
in  order  to  meet  their  responsibilities  under 
the  great  commission,  must  be  baptized  with 
fire  and  power,  and  made  conscious  partners 
in  the  transcendent  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

2.  A  Threefold  Function. 

The  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  the 
great  dynamic  in  human  history,  is  here 
clearly  indicated  in  the  teaching  of  Christ. 
He  says,  "  When  the  Comforter  is  come,  he 
will  reprove  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  of 
righteousness  and  of  judgment  to  come." 

First,  "  He  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin, 
because  they  believe  not  on  me." 

The  average  man  has  a  totally  inadequate 

sense  of  sin.     At  the  best,  he  regards  it  as  a 

violation  of  law.    He  sees  clearly  enough  that 

theft,  arson,  forgery,   murder   and  adultery 

92 


Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

arc  sins.  In  fact,  however,  they  are  merely 
symptoms  of  sin,  like  eruptions  which  indicate 
an  inward  fever.  And  when  we  try  to  cure 
sin  with  chains  and  prisons  and  scaffold  trees, 
we  are  only  doctoring  its  visible  symptoms. 

But  here  comes  the  Holy  Ghost  to  correct 
this  misapprehension.  He  teaches  us  that 
sin  in  any  form  whatsoever  is  not  only  a 
violation  of  law,  divine  or  human,  but  enmity 
against  God.  This  is  getting  down  to  the 
root  of  the  matter.  The  thief,  the  drunkard 
and  the  drab  are  sinners,  certainly  ;  any  child 
knows  that.  But  how  about  the  smug, 
decorous,  respectable  malefactor  who  does 
not  wear  his  vices  on  his  sleeve  for  daws  to 
peck  at  ?  What  about  the  man  who  keeps 
within  the  bounds  of  statutes  and  ordinances, 
but  has  no  place  in  his  life  for  God.  Is  he 
also  a  sinner  ?  The  Holy  Ghost  says  yes. 
Why  ?  Because  he  breathes  God's  air,  lives 
on  His  bounty,  is  a  constant  beneficiary  of 
His  goodness,  and  yet  has  not  the  grace  to  say 
"  I  thank  you  1  "  If  this  were  all,  it  would 
be  bad  enough  ;  but  the  head  and  front  of 
his  offending  is  that,  when  God  sends  His 
93 


In  the  Upper  Room 

only-begotten  Son  into  the  world  to  die  for 
his  redemption,  he  will  have  none  of  it.  So 
said  Peter  to  the  assembled  multitude  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost.  "  Ye  have  taken  Jesus, 
and  with  wicked  hands  have  crucified  him  !  " 
They  were  guilty  of  a  thousand  sins  ;  but 
this  was  the  head  and  front  of  all  their 
offending.  To  reject  Christ  is  to  crucify 
Him  afresh  ;  and  what  a  sin  have  we  here  in 
the  light  of  this  gospel  age  !  This  is  the 
revolt  of  the  sinner  against  God.  It  is 
worse  than  theft  and  murder  and  adultery 
rolled  into  one.  But  tell  that  to  the  re- 
spectable sinner  and  he  will  smile  at  you. 
The  Holy  Ghost  must  come  and  uncover 
his  heart.  And  when  the  Holy  Ghost 
speaks,  His  words  shall  be  like  a  two-edged 
sword  which  divideth  asunder  the  soul  and 
spirit.  Now  see  the  sinner  pricked  to  the 
heart,  and  hear  him  crying,  "What  shall 
I  do  ? " 

Second,  it   is   the   function   of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  as  Jesus  says,  to  "  reprove  the  world 
of  righteousness  :    because  I    go    unto    the 
Father,  and  ye  see  me  no  more." 
94 


Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

The  world's  idea  of  righteousness  is  as 
defective  as  its  conception  of  sin.  It  has 
one  form  of  righteousness  which  it  calls 
morality,  that  is,  living  within  the  prescript 
of  the  law.  This  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes, 
but  it  does  not  go  far  enough.  Jesus  said 
to  the  young  ruler,  "  He  that  doeth  the  law 
shall  live  by  it  "  ;  but  suppose  a  man  breaks 
the  law,  what  then  ?  "  The  soul  that  sinneth 
it  shall  die  !  "  And  in  all  the  world  there  is 
not  a  mortal  man  who  has  kept  it. 

There  is  another  form  of  righteousness 
which  consists  in  obedience  to  ceremonial 
law.  This  is  superficial  at  the  best,  and 
those  who  practise  it,  unless  they  have  a 
heart  of  holiness,  are  "  as  whited  sepulchres, 
fair  without,  but  within  full  of  dead  men's 
bones  and  all  uncleanness."  This  is  that 
form  of  religion  of  which  the  Saviour  said, 
"  Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the 
righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God." 

The  two  forms  of  goodness  here  indicated 
are  like  the  signs  on  a  shopkeeper's  windows, 
95 


In  the  Upper  Room 

which  may  mean  something  or  nothing, 
according  as  there  arc  corresponding  goods 
on  his  shelves.  And  those  who  trust  in 
either  one  of  them  will  be  left  lamenting  at 
the  last,  "All  our  righteousnesses  are  as 
filthy  rags  !  " 

The  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  correct  these 
definitions  of  righteousness  by  pointing  to 
Christ,  who  was  the  only  righteous  man  that 
ever  lived  in  this  world  of  ours.  He  was 
the  only  one  who  ever  lived  up  to  the  high 
level  of  the  law.  He  was  the  only  one  who 
ever  "  brought  the  bottom  of  His  life  up  to 
the  top  of  His  light."  He  was  the  only  one 
who  ever  dared  to  issue  the  challenge,  "  Who 
layeth  anything  to  my  charge .? "  without 
being  laughed  at.  He  was  the  Dikaios  of 
whom  Plato  dreamed,  "the  just  one."  He 
was  the  only  man  who  ever  was  sentenced 
to  death  by  a  judge  who  felt  obliged  to  say, 
"  I  find  no  fault  in  him  at  all." 

It  is  the  special  and  particular  function  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  call  Him  to  our  remem- 
brance. Christ  has  gone  to  the  Father,  so 
that  the  world  seeth  Him  no  more  ;  but  the 

96 


Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

world  can  never  forget  Him ;  because  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  ever  pointing  to  Him  and 
saying,  "  Behold  the  Man  !  Behold  the 
perfect  manner  of  His  life  !  Behold  Him, 
and  be  like  Him  ! "  In  the  imitation  of 
Christ  we  find  the  Spirit*s  definition  of  right- 
eousness. Such  righteousness  is  more  than 
conformity  with  law  ;  it  is  conformity  with 
God. 

So  the  Holy  Ghost  turns  upside  down 
the  world's  conceptions  of  sin  on  the  one 
hand  and  of  righteousness  on  the  other. 
Here  are  two  men  going  up  to  the  temple 
to  pray.  One  of  them  is  a  Doctor  of 
Divinity,  with  broad  phylacteries  and  a 
scriptural  frontlet  between  his  eyes ;  his 
prayer  runs  on  this  wise,  "I  thank  thee, 
God,  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are, 
extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as 
this  publican.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week, 
I  give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess."  The 
other,  standing  afar  off,  dare  not  lift  up 
his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smiting  upon 
his  breast  cries,  "God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner ! "  The  world  takes  these  men 
97 


In  the  Upper  Room 

at  their  own  valuation  :  the  Pharisee  is  a 
saint,  and  the  publican  a  reprobate.  But 
the  Holy  Ghost  has  this  to  say,  "The 
Pharisee  is  the  sinner  and  the  publican  the 
saint;  because  the  latter,  feeling  his  sin, 
is  on  his  way  back  to  God." 

Third,  the  Holy  Ghost  "reproves  the 
world  of  judgment,  because  the  Prince  ot 
this  World  is  judged." 

The  current  thought  of  judgment  is  as 
inadequate  as  the  conceptions  of  sin  and 
righteousness  already  referred  to.  On  the 
one  hand,  there  are  those  who  think,  like 
Job's  miserable  comforters,  that  judgment 
is  a  system  of  exact  retribution  going  on 
here  and  now.  A  man  sits  in  a  draught 
and  contracts  rheumatism,  or  he  overeats 
and  has  dyspepsia  :  thus  the  laws  of  nature 
are  continually  exacting  their  quid  pro  quo^ 
as  indicated  in  the  Buddhist^  "law  of 
consequences." 

There  are  others  who  restrict  the  thought 
of  judgment  to  the  Great  Day,  when  all 
that  are  in  their  graves  shall  come  forth 
to  render  an  account  of  their  deeds. 

98 


Dispensation  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

Both  of  these  conceptions  are  true  so  far 
as  they  go  ;  but  they  do  not  exhaust  the 
matter  in  hand. 

The  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  advise  us 
that  there  is  another  sort  of  judgment 
going  on  every  day  before  our  eyes.  Who 
is  being  judged?  The  Prince  of  this 
World.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
controversy.  Light  and  darkness  are  met 
as  on  a  mighty  battlefield.  Events  are 
hastening  on  toward  a  final  Armageddon, 
when  the  red  dragon  shall  be  cast  into  the 
pit.  Here  is  the  key  to  history.  Read 
it  as  Christ  did  when  He  said,  "I  saw 
Satan  fall  from  heaven  !  "  Read  judgment 
in  the  newspapers,  between  the  lines  of 
passing  events.  The  Holy  Ghost  gives  us 
the  clue.  "  God*s  in  His  heaven,  all's  right 
with  the  world ! "  History  is  judgment. 
There  is  judgment  in  the  story  of  Waterloo 
and  Gettysburg,  the  Crusades  and  the 
Reformation,  the  fall  of  the  Bastile  and 
the  signing  of  Magna  Charta.  Christ  goeth 
forth  conquering  and  to  conquer  I  He  hath 
upon  His  vesture  and  upon  His  thigh  a 
99 


In  the  Upper  Room 

name  written,  "King  of  kings  and  Lord 
of  lords.**  See  the  white  plume  of  the 
Captain  of  our  Salvation  in  the  forefront 
of  events,  leading  onward,  ever  onward  to 
the  Golden  Age !  Fall  in  and  lend  a 
hand  1  The  blast  of  the  trumpet  which 
shall  usher  in  the  Great  Day  will  be 
the  signal  for  the  final  sitting  of  a  Court 
which  has  been  in  session  through  all  the 
ages. 

So  the  three  great  facts  in  the  province 
of  the  spiritual  life,  to  wit,  sin,  righteous- 
ness and  judgment,  are  defined  and  opened 
up  to  us  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  anoints 
our  eyes  with  eyesalve  that  we  may  see. 
He  dispels  doubt,  cures  hypochondria  and 
makes  optimists.  He  hushes  our  misereres 
and  attunes  our  hearts  to  hosannas  and 
hallelujahs.  The  shadows  disappear  at  His 
bidding,  and,  lo,  the  mountains  are  full  of 
horses  and  chariots  ! 

Come,  Holy  Spirit,  come  !     Come  as  the 

light  to  illumine  our   dull   understandings  ! 

Come  as    the   morning   dew  to  refresh  our 

weary   energies   and   give    us    hopeful   and 

lOO 


Dispensation  of  the   Holy  Ghost 

joyous  views  of  spiritual  truth  !  Come  as 
the  fire  to  enkindle  within  us  new  zeal 
for  godliness  and  new  devotion  to  the 
Kingdom  of  truth  and  righteousness  !  Come 
and  call  Jesus  to  our  remembrance !  For 
without  Thee  our  eyes  grow  dim  and  vision 
fails.  Show  us  Christ,  crucified  to  atone  for 
sin,  which  is  enmity  against  God !  Show 
us  Christ,  the  living  exemplar  of  that 
righteousness  which  is  conformity  with 
God !  Show  us  Christ,  the  conquering 
Judge  who  leads  the  great  campaign  of 
progress  so  effectively  that  the  gates  of 
hell  cannot  prevail  against  Him  1  Come, 
Holy  Spirit,  come !  Give  us  a  bright 
vision  of  Christ,  the  Alpha  and  Omega, 
the  beginning  of  every  high  hope  and 
noble  aspiration,  and  the  end  of  every 
ambition  that  is  worthy  of  the  children  of 
men !  Show  us  Christ ;  first,  last,  midst 
and  all  in  all  I 

**'Ti8  Thine  to  cleanse  the  heart, 

To  sanctify  the  soul, 
To  pour  fresh  life  on  erery  part, 
And  new  create  the  whole. 
lOI 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Dwell,  therefore,  in  our  hearts; 
Our  minds  from  bondage  free  ; 
Then  shall  we  know  and  praise  and  love 
The  Father,  Son,  and  Thee." 


T03 


VII. 

THE  PAROUSIA. 
(John  xvi.  16-33.) 

Our  Lord  in  this  interview  with  His  disciples 
told  them  He  was  about  to  reassume  "the 
glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before 
the  world  was  " ;  but  He  assured  them  that 
He  would  presently  return,  and  exhorted 
them  to  live  in  expectation  of  that  event. 
"A  litde  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me,"  he 
said  ;  "  and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall 
see  me." 

His  words  puzzled  them  :  "  What  is  this 
that  he  saith,  ^  a  little  while '  ?  We  cannot 
understand  it."  But,  however  they  may 
have  been  perplexed  by  His  manner  of  speech, 
they  never  entertained  the  slightest  doubt  as 
to  the  fact  of  His  coming  again  in  the  fulness 
of  time, 

103 


In  the  Upper  Room 

I.  The  Fact. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Parousia,  or  second 
coming  of  Christ,  was  joyfully  cherished  in 
the  early  Church.  There  are  approximately 
a  thousand  allusions  in  His  teaching  and 
that  of  His  apostles  with  reference  to  it. 
In  the  twenty-fourth  and  twenty-fifth  chapters 
of  Matthew  we  have  what  is  familiarly  known 
as  the  parousia  discourse  of  Jesus :  and, 
whatever  of  uncertainty  there  may  be  as  to 
its  interpretation  in  detail  and  particular, 
there  is  no  room  whatever  for  uncertainty 
as  to  the  promise  it  contains.  The  teaching 
of  the  apostles  is  of  the  same  tenor.  It 
may  be  found  in  the  last  words  of  Paul :  "  I 
am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time 
of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I 
have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth  there  is 
laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness 
which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall 
give  me  at  that  day  ;  and  not  to  me  only, 
but  unto  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 
There  is  an  intimation  of  it  in  the  last  words 
104 


The  Parousia 

of  Peter  :  "  There  shall  come  in  the  last  days 
scoffers  saying,  Where  is  the  promise  of  his 
coming  ?  "  It  is  clearly  set  forth  in  the  last 
words  of  James  :  "  Be  ye  patient,  therefore, 
unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  as  the  husband- 
man waiteth  for  his  fruits.  Be  patient ; 
establish  your  hearts  :  for  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  draweth  nigh."  Also  in  the  last  words 
of  John,  sole  survivor  of  the  Old  Guard, 
who  from  his  desert  home  in  Patmos  heard 
his  Lord  calling,  "  Behold,  I  come  quickly  !  " 
and  answered  "  Amen  !  Even  so  come. 
Lord  Jesus ! "  Thus  the  early  Christians 
strengthened  themselves  in  the  glorious 
hope. 

Our  faith  may  tremble,  but  the  promise 
is  Yea  and  Amen.  It  is  recorded  that  when 
He  ascended  from  the  Mount  of  Olives,  the 
eyes  of  the  disciples  following  Him  as  He 
disappeared  through  the  open  skies,  two 
angels  stood  by  them  in  shining  apparel  who 
said,  "  Why  gaze  ye  up  into  heaven  ?  He 
shall  so  come  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into 
heaven." 


105 


In  the  Upper  Room 

2.  Its  Significance. 

In  this  detailed  account  of  His  ascension 
we  have  a  clearer  light  on  the  prophecy  under 
consideration.  It  means, /r J/,  that  He  is  to 
come  personally,  "as  ye  have  seen  him  go.'* 
The  promise  cannot  be  explained  away  by 
referring  it  to  an  influential  presence.  It  is 
true  that  Christ  has  been  the  commanding 
figure  in  history  ever  since  those  days.  The 
power  of  all  the  C^sars  and  Alexanders  and 
Napoleons  combined  is  not  comparable  with 
His.  But  this  does  not  answer  the  demands 
of  the  promise  before  us. 

Nor  can  it  be  disposed  of  as  a  reference  to 
the  miracle  of  Pentecost.  He  did,  indeed, 
so  pour  out  His  Spirit  on  that  memorable 
day  that  His  Church  was  baptized  with  fire 
and  power  for  the  great  campaign  before  it. 
But  this  was  manifestly  not  the  coming 
referred  to. 

Nor  was  that  promise  fulfilled  in  the 
coming  of  Christ  at  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem.  This  was  with  no  such  be- 
nignant glory  as  when  He  ascended  with 
1 06 


The  Parousia 

outstretched  hands  of  benediction  into  the 
heavens  that  were  opened  to  receive  Him. 

Nor  are  the  conditions  of  this  promise 
met  by  the  sympathetic  coming  of  Christ 
referred  to  in  the  words,  "  I  will  not  leave 
you  comfortless,  I  will  come  to  you."  Here 
is  a  splendid  truth,  which  is  realised  in  the 
experience  of  every  true  follower  of  Christ  ; 
but  that  does  not  exhaust  the  matter  in  hand. 
The  parousia  lies  deeper  yet. 

It  means,  second^  that  He  is  to  appear 
visibly  ;  that  is,  ye  shall  see  Him  come  "  as 
ye  have  seen  him  go."  We  are  to  see  Him 
hisce  ocu/is,  "with  these  very  eyes."  He 
will  be  recognised  as  the  same  Christ  who 
lived  and  suffered  among  men.  His  hands 
will  be  the  same  that  ministered  to  their 
needs.  His  feet  the  same  that  walked  along 
the  paths  of  Palestine,  His  heart  the  same 
that  throbbed  responsive  to  human  want,  and 
broke  at  last  under  the  burden  of  human  sin. 
The  marks  of  His  vicarious  pain  will  be  seen 
in  His  hands  and  side,  the  stigmata  by  which 
the  world  is  to  know  its  crucified  and 
triumphant  Lord.  He  did  not  become 
107 


In  the  Upper  Room 

incarnate  simply  as  a  temporary  expedient  or 
for  a  transient  purpose ;  He  remains  for 
evermore  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  Thus 
John  the  Evangelist  saw  Him  enthroned 
"  as  a  lamb  that  had  been  slain." 

It  means,  third,  that  His  coming  will  be 
glorious ;  not  as  it  was  at  Bethlehem  :  a 
mother  looking  fondly  down  Into  her  baby's 
face  ;  a  group  of  rustics  at  the  doorway  of 
the  cave,  standing  on  tiptoe  peering  In  ;  a 
few  shepherds  on  their  knees  about  the 
Child  ;  a  company  of  wise  men  on  camels 
approaching  to  lay  their  gold  and  myrrh  and 
frankincense  at  His  feet.  Not  so  will  be 
our  Lord's  final  advent.  The  tokens  of  His 
attendant  majesty  are  definitely  given  us. 

The  trumpet  shall  sound  ;  the  trumpet  o\ 
a  great  angel  going  on  before,  as  a  herald 
before  the  King.  He  will  then  appear  in  a 
pavilion  of  cloud  ;  not  like  the  dust-cloud 
that  rises  before  a  royal  retinue  on  an  earthly 
highway  ;  but  the  historic  Shechinah,  the 
"  most  excellent  glory  "  in  which  the  Lord 
has  manifested  Himself  again  and  again  ;  the 
same  cloud  that  led  the  children  of  Israel  on 
1 08 


The  Parousia 

their  journey  through  the  wilderness.  He 
will  be  attended  by  a  multitude  of  angels. 
The  shining  seats  of  heaven  will  be  emptied 
to  furnish  His  retinue  on  that  great  Palm 
Sunday  when  hosannas  are  to  fill  the  earth  as 
they  fill  the  heavens  now.  "  The  mountains 
and  the  hills  shall  break  forth  into  singing, 
and  all  the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their 
hands  before  Him.  Instead  of  the  thorn 
shall  come  up  the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of 
the  brier  shall  come  up  the  myrtle  tree; 
and  it  shall  be  to  the  Lord  for  a  name, 
for  an  everlasting  sign  that  shall  not  be 
cut  off." 

It  means, /<?//r//^,  that  His  coming  will  be 
beneficent.  As  He  lifted  His  hands  in  bless- 
ing when  He  vanished  through  the  skies,  so 
shall  He  come  again  saying,  "  Peace  be  unto 
you.'*  His  fan  will  be  in  His  hand,  and  He 
will  thoroughly  purge  His  floor.  Sin  shall 
be  swept  utterly  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 
No  more  trail  of  the  serpent,  no  more  shame 
and  remorse,  no  more  wrong  and  oppression, 
no  more  war  and  desolation,  no  more  envy 
and  hypocrisy,  no  more  sin !  Wherefore 
109 


In  the  Upper  Room 

the  followers  of  Christ  shall  rejoice  in  that 
day  like  a  woman  who,  gazing  on  the  face  of 
her  newborn  child,  finds  her  "  sorrow  turned 
to  joy."  For  the  Tabernacle  of  God  shall 
be  among  men,  and  He  will  dwell  with  them  ; 
and  they  shall  be  His  people,  and  God  Him- 
self shall  be  their  God. 

3.  The  Time. 

But  when  shall  these  things  be  ?  We 
have  no  such  definite  information  as  would 
enable  us  to  determine  the  exact  time.  His 
prediction  is  veiled  in  "  dark  sayings.**  To 
the  disciples  at  Olivet  who  asked,  "Lord, 
wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore  the  kingdom 
to  Israel  ? "  His  answer  was,  "  It  is  not  for 
you  to  know  the  times  and  the  seasons,  which 
the  Father  hath  put  in  his  own  power.**  On 
another  occasion  He  had  said  :  "  Let  no  man 
deceive  you.  For  many  shall  come,  saying 
Lo,  here  !  or  Lo,  there  1  Believe  them  not. 
For  of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no 
man,  no,  not  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven, 
neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father.**  He  shall 
come  "  at  an  hour  when  ye  think  not.** 
no 


The  Parousia 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  with  the  Lord 
a  millennium  is  as  an  handbreadth  of  time. 
Peter  says,  "  He  is  not  slack  concerning  his 
promise,  as  some  men  count  slackness  ;  but  is 
long-suffering  towards  us,  not  willing  that 
any  should  perish,  but  that  all  should  come 
to  repentance."  Here  is  the  reason  for  His 
delay.  It  is  not  because  He  has  forgotten, 
but  because  He  is  long-suffering  toward  the 
children  of  men. 

It  is  recorded  that  when  William  the 
Conqueror  came  to  England  the  Barons  pros- 
trated themselves  before  him  and  took  this 
vow  :  "  I  do  become  thy  liege  man,  for  life 
and  limb  and  earthly  regard  ;  and  I  do  pledge 
myself  to  keep  faith  and  loyalty  with  thee, 
for  life  and  death,  as  God  shall  help  me." 
Thus  should  we  be  ever  renewing  our  con- 
secration to  Christ.  For  the  highway  must 
be  cast  up  for  His  coming  :  the  stones  ot 
stumbling  must  be  gathered  out.  There  is 
something  for  us  to  do  :  and  when  it  is  done, 
oh,  happy  day !  The  heavens  shall  part 
asunder  and  His  people  shall  cry,  "  Behold 
Him ! " 

III 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Meanwhile,  blessed  are  they  that  love  His 
appearing.  He  said  there  should  be  "weep- 
ing and  lamenting  "  before  the  promised  day  ; 
but  let  not  our  faith  misgive  us.  He  that 
shall  come  will  come,  and  will  make  no 
tarrying.  "These  words  have  I  spoken 
unto  you,'*  said  Jesus, "  that  ye  might  have 
peace.  In  the  world  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ; 
but  be  of  good  cheer  :  I  have  overcome  the 
world  1 " 

4.  The  Command  to  Watch. 

We  wait :  and  while  we  wait  we  watch. 
The  word  appears  again  and  again  in 
the  teaching  of  Christ.  Watch  !  Watch  ! 
Watch  !  But  how  are  we  to  watch  ?  Like 
those  that  impatiently  look  out  of  their 
windows  ?  Nay,  He  has  told  us  :  "  Let  your 
loins  be  girt  about,  and  your  lights  burning." 
A  man  lights  his  lamp  for  an  expected  guest, 
and  girds  his  loins  when  he  addresses  himself 
to  an  important  task.  Watch,  therefore,  in 
the  discharge  of  duty,  for  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man  1 

At  the  close  of  the  Tenth  Century  the 
112 


The  Parousia 

Christian  world  thought  that  the  end  was 
drawing  nigh,  since  this  was  the  close  of  the 
cycle  of  a  thousand  years.  The  signs  were 
all  favourable.  The  social  deeps  were  broken 
up  ;  there  were  wars,  famines,  pestilences, 
natural  convulsions,  confusion  everywhere  ; 
"signs  in  heaven  above  and  in  the  earth 
beneath."  It  was  believed  by  Christians 
generally  that  the  Lord  was  surely  at  hand. 
In  the  last  year  of  the  century  the  impending 
event  was  proclaimed  from  Christian  pulpits. 
Industry  was  suspended.  The  Emperor  of 
Germany  announced  "  the  Truce  of  God," 
and  went  about  in  a  garb  of  penitence  preach- 
ing it.  On  the  final  day  of  the  year  the 
people  clothed  themselves  in  ascension  robes 
and  at  sunset  betook  themselves  to  the  roofs 
of  the  houses,  the  porches  of  cathedrals  and 
the  open  fields,  where  they  stood  waiting. 
The  hours  passed  until  midnight.  Midnight 
passed  ;  the  stars  began  to  fade.  The  first 
gleam  of  morning  came ;  and  then  the 
Christian  world,  heaving  a  sigh  of  relief  as 
of  one  coming  out  of  a  paralysis  of  mingled 
fear  and  hope,  went  back  to  its  work. 
"3 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Then  came  the  Crusades,  the  greatest 
movement  in  history  prior  to  the  Reformation. 
The  monks,  led  by  Peter  the  Hermit,  with 
kings  and  courtiers,  went  everywhere  pro- 
claiming the  conquest  of  the  Holy  Land. 
"  It  is  the  will  of  God  ! ''  We  must  do 
something  toward  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man  !  They  were  still  waiting,  but  waiting 
at  what  they  believed  to  be  their  appointed 
tasks.  Thus  Christ  is  ever  saying  to  His 
people,  "  Watch  !  "  Watch  and  be  sober  ; 
watch  with  your  loins  girt !  Let  your  door 
be  on  the  latch  !  It  may  be  at  evening,  or 
at  midnight,  or  in  the  morning  that  He  will 
come.  Watch,  therefore  1  "  Blessed  is  that 
servant  whom  his  Lord,  when  he  cometh, 
shall  find  so  doing." 


U4 


VIII. 

THE  SACERDOTAL  PRAYER. 
(John  xvii.) 

No  man  ever  prayed  as  Jesus  did.  He  was 
in  such  vital  union  with  the  Father  that 
prayer  was  second  nature  to  Him.  Nay, 
rather  it  was  first  nature  to  Him.  He  knew 
how  to  commune  with  God. 

On  one  occasion,  being  overheard  by  His 
disciples,  who  perceived  that  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  secret  unknown  to  them,  they 
said,  "Lord,  teach  us  how  to  pray."  His 
answer  was,  "After  this  manner  pray  ye  : 
Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven^  Hallowed 
he  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will 
he  done  on  earthy  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our 
dehtSy  as  we  forgive  our  dehtors.  And  lead  us 
not  into  temptation^  hut  deliver  us  from  evil, 
115 


In  the  Upper  Room 

For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power^  and 
the  glory  for  ever.     Amen'' 

We  are  accustomed  to  speak  of  this  as 
"The  Lord's  prayer."  It  was,  however, 
not  the  Lord's  prayer,  but  our  prayer.  It 
was  a  prayer  in  which  He  Himself  could 
scarcely  join  ;  because  His  relation  with 
the  Father  was  quite  different  from  ours. 
He  nowhere  includes  Himself  in  the  same 
sort  of  filiation  as  ours  ;  since  He  was  "  the 
only  -  begotten  Son."  The  real  Lord's 
Prayer  is  that  which  is  recorded  here,  in 
the  seventeenth  chapter  of  John.  This  is 
a  prayer  which  none  but  He  could  make  ; 
nay,  more,  which  no  mortal  man  could  offer 
without  such  a  measure  of  presumption  as 
would  amount  to  blasphemy  against  God. 

It  is  to  this  sacerdotal  prayer  that  our 
thought  is  now  directed  :  "And  Jesus  lifted 
up  his  eyes  to  heaven  and  said,  Father,  the 
hour  is  come." 

It  was  the  last  night  of  His  sojourn  on 

earth.     He  had  preached   His  last   sermon 

to  them  ;  had  presided  at  the  last  supper  ; 

had   given  them    His  last   bequest,    saying, 

ii6 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

"  Peace  I  leave  with  you  ;  my  peace  I 
give  unto  you "  ;  and  now  He  makes  His 
last  prayer  for  them. 

'  "I  pray  not  for  the  world,"  He  says, 
"but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me." 
He  then  proceeds  to  ask  four  things  in  their 
behalf ;  and  in  our  behalf,  also,  for  He  dis- 
tinctly makes  mention  of  "  them  also  which 
shall  believe  on  me  through  their  word." 
His  great  prayer  includes  all  true  Christians 
to  the  end  of  time. 

In  these  four  petitions  we  have  a  summary 
of  all  that  makes  life  worth  living  or  heaven 
worth  longing  for. 

I.  That  they  may  be  Kept. 

"Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own 
name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me.  I 
pray  not  that  thou  shouldest  take  them  out 
of  the  world  ;  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep 
them  from  the  evil." 

He  had  Himself  been  sent  into  the  world 

to  accomplish  a  definite  task  ;  and  He  was 

not  to  depart  out  of  the   world   until   He 

could  say,  "  I  have  finished  the  work  which 

117 


In  the  Upper  Room 

thou  gavest  me  to  do."  As  the  Father 
had  sent  Him  into  the  world,  so  He  sent 
His  disciples  into  the  very  thick  of  its  toil 
and  conflict  to  remain  there  until  their  work 
was  accomplished.  In  the  meantime  He 
said,  "  Whither  1  go  ye  cannot  come "  ; 
but  in  due  time,  having  been  faithful,  they 
were  to  follow  Him. 

He  foresaw  the  trials  and  persecutions 
that  awaited  them.  The  sword  was  being 
sharpened  ;  the  faggots  were  being  kindled 
for  them.  He  heard  the  roaring  of  the  lions 
in  the  amphitheatre,  and,  by  His  effectual 
intercession,  prepared  them  to  meet  it.  In 
that  company  in  the  upper  room  was  James, 
who  was  presently  to  be  slain  with  the 
sword  ;  and  most  of  the  others,  if  not  all, 
were  destined  to  climb  to  heaven  by  the 
steep  ascent  of  martyrdom.  He  did  not 
pray  that  they  might  be  kept  alive  :  for 
life  is  not  worth  living  when  faith  and 
honour  die.  His  desire  was  that  they  might 
be  kept  faithful  unto  death. 

He  foresaw  also  the  divers  temptations 
that  awaited  them  ;  temptations  to  turn  aside 
ii8 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

from  the  straight  path  of  righteousness  into 
the  byways  of  sin  ;  temptations  to  swerve 
from  their  loyalty  to  truth  Into  the  easy 
follies  of  unbelief.  For  false  teachers  were 
to  "  creep  In "  among  them,  whose  clever 
presentations  of  error  would  be  calculated 
to  deceive  the  very  elect.  He  did  not  pray 
that  they  might  not  be  exposed  to  these 
temptations  ;  but  that,  being  so  exposed, 
they  might  be  kept  from  wandering  into 
sin  and  unbelief. 

Oh,  how  much  this  prayer  of  the  Master 
Is  needed  to-day  !  We  are  living  in  a  very 
cyclone  of  controversy,  and  In  constant  danger 
of  being  swept  away  from  our  moorings  by 
adverse  winds.     There  Is  not  a  sInMe  funda- 

o 

mental  truth  of  the  gospel  which  Is  not 
denied  or  speciously  explained  away  In  these 
days  ;  the  Deity  of  Jesus,  the  Inspiration  of 
the  Scriptures,  the  reality  of  the  supernatural, 
the  very  personality  of  God  ! 

The    two  pieces  of  divine  armour  which 

we  most    need,  under   these    circumstances, 

are  the  girdle  of   truth  and    the  sandals  of 

the  gospel.     It  was  the  spiked  sandals  of  a 

119 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Roman  knight  that  enabled  him,  when  at 
close  quarters  with  his  adversary,  "  to  with- 
stand, and  having  done  all  to  stand." 

But  the  doctrine  of  the  "  perseverance  of 
saints  **  rests  on  no  frail  foundation  of  human 
ability.  We  are  saved  not  by  our  feeble  hold 
on  Christ,  but  by  His  mighty  grip  on  us  ;  as 
He  said,  "  No  man  shall  pluck  you  out  of 
my  hand.'*  Wherefore,  let  us  lean  hard  and 
trust  to  His  great  promise — 

"The  soul  that  on  Jesus  hath  leaned  for  repose 
He  will  not,  He  will  not,  desert  to  His  foes; 
That  soul,  though  all  hell  should  endeavour  to  shake, 
He'll  never,  no  never,  no  never  forsake." 

2.  That  they  might  be  Sanctified. 

The  word  sanctification  is  used  in  two 
different  senses.  It  refers,  on  the  one  hand, 
to  growth  in  holiness.  A  Christian  is 
expected  to  grow  every  day  ;  not  to  stand 
still,  marking  time,  but  "  so  to  live  that  each 
to-morrow  finds  him  further  than  to-day.'* 
We  are  to  add  to  our  faith  virtue,  and  to 
virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge  tem- 
perance,  and   to    temperance   patience,   and 

I20 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

to  patience  godliness,  and  to  godliness 
brotherly-kindness,  and  to  brotherly-kind- 
ness charity  ;  that  so  we  may  increase  in  the 
practical  knowledge  of  Christ.  This  is 
character  building  :  to  be  constantly  growing 
more  like  Him.  And  to  that  end  we  have 
received  the  immediate  presence  and  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Sanctifier.  He  is 
not  called  the  Holy  Ghost  because  He  is 
holier  than  either  of  the  other  persons  of 
the  Godhead,  but  because  it  is  His  official 
function  to  impart  and  cultivate  holiness. 
Wherefore  our  sanctification  is  measured  by 
our  close  and  vital  acquaintance  with  Him. 

But  sanctification  means  also  consecration  ; 
that  is,  devotion  to  duty.  So  Jesus  says, 
"  For  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they 
also  might  be  sanctified  through  the  truth  "  ; 
by  which  He  means  that  He  sets  before 
them  an  example  of  perfect  devotion  to  duty. 
And  He  indicates  how  this  is  to  be  accom- 
plished in  us.  The  agent  of  sanctification, 
in  both  senses,  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the 
instrument  used  by  Him  is  "  the  truth.'* 

We  are  left  in  no  doubt  as  to  where  this 

121 


In  the  Upper  Room 

truth  is  to  be  found  ;  for  Jesus  adds,  "  Thy 
word  is  truth."  His  reference  is  clearly 
to  the  Scriptures.  I  am  aware  that  an 
attempt  is  made  by  those  who  reject  the 
Scriptures  to  explain  this  away  by  saying 
that  He  was  thinking  of  all  the  manifestations 
of  Deity  in  the  world  about  us.  But  here 
the  wish  is  father  to  the  thought.  The 
reference  of  Jesus  is  not  to  God's  voice  in 
the  rolling  of  thunder  and  the  rippling  of 
brooks,  but  to  His  revealed  word  ;  and  this 
is  in  line  with  all  His  other  teachings.  He 
was  always  true  to  the  Bible  ;  He  knew  it, 
believed  it,  loved  it,  preached  it,  practised  it, 
and  commended  it  to  those  who  followed 
Him.  He  never  in  a  single  word  or  syllable 
intimated  that  He  questioned  its  inspiration 
and  entire  trustworthiness.  It  is  respect- 
fully submitted  to  the  consideration  of  His 
professed  followers,  that  the  Book  which  was 
good  enough  for  Him  should  be  good 
enough  for  us. 

The  pathway  of  sanctification  is  thus 
made  clear.  If  we  profess  to  follow  Christ, 
we  must   allow  Him   to   prescribe   for  us. 

122 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

He  breathed  on  His  disciples,  saying, 
"  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  He  pointed 
to  the  Scriptures,  saying,  "  Search  them  ;  for 
in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and 
those  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  We 
have  the  Bible ;  and  we  have  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  illuminate  its  pages  and  anoint  our 
eyes  with  eye-salve  that  we  may  see  ;  and 
we  have,  furthermore,  the  sustaining  power 
of  this  great  prayer  of  Jesus,  "  Sanctify  them 
by  thy  truth." 

3.  That  they  might  be  Unified. 

"I  pray  for  them  ;  that  they  all  may  be 
one  ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in 
thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us." 

It  is  a  grave  misinterpretation  and  per- 
version of  this  prayer  to  suggest  that  Jesus 
had  in  mind  a  heterogeneous  union  of  all 
sorts  of  people,  wherein  Jews  and  Christians, 
Moslems,  Confucianists,  Buddhists  and  fire- 
worshippers  meet  together  in  a  common 
fellowship  under  the  apparent  assumption 
that  sincerity  in  error  is  as  admirable  as 
devotion  to  truth.  The  prayer  of  Jesus,  on 
123 


In  the  Upper  Room 

the  contrary,  was  for  the  harmonious  unity 
of  all  who  sincerely  believe  in  Him. 

Nor  did  He  pray  that  these  might  be  one 
in  an  unconditioned  oneness,  but  that  they 
might  be  one  after  the  similitude  of  the 
ineffable  Trinity  ;  "  as  thou.  Father,  art  in 
me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  may  be  one  in 
us."  The  union  thus  indicated  is  obviously 
not  a  matter  of  mere  sentiment,  nor  to  be 
accomplished  with  iron  clamps.  It  is  a 
union  of  life  and  purpose,  a  substantial 
union,  a  union  for  the  accomplishment  of  a 
definite  purpose  in  the  salvation  of  men. 

We  sometimes  lament  the  fact  that  there 
are  different  denominations  of  believers  in 
Christ.  But  this  is  after  the  analogy  of 
Nature.  "Birds  of  a  feather  flock  to- 
gether " ;  and  there  are  "  many  men  of 
many  minds."  We  are  made  to  segregate  ; 
and  it  matters  not  how  we  differ  in  non- 
essentials so  long  as  there  is  a  substantial 
unity  of  life  and  purpose  among  us. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  in 
America  there  was  a  call  for  seventy-five 
thousand  troops  to  serve  for  ninety  days. 
124 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

The  troops  thus  enlisted  were  organised  into 
companies,  regiments,  divisions  and  army 
corps.  There  were  infantry  and  calvary 
and  artillery.  Had  they  been  massed  and 
hurled  at  once  with  a  common  purpose 
against  the  enemy  the  war  might  have  been 
brought  to  a  speedy  close  ;  but  they  were 
stationed  all  over  the  country  in  scattered 
camps.  Then  came  years  of  sporadic  fight- 
ing :  till  at  length  Grant  appeared  with  a 
conviction  that  the  whole  army  must  be 
brought  together  for  one  final  blow.  He 
meant  to  save  the  Union  ;  and  there  seemed 
no  other  way.  The  order  went  out  accord- 
ingly, and  a  million  men  turned  their  faces 
toward  a  single  point.  All  the  lines  con- 
verged at  Appomattox.  Grant  was  there 
with  his  formidable  army  ;  Sheridan  was 
hastening  from  the  North  and  Sherman 
from  the  South.  The  result  was  a  foregone 
conclusion  when  the  lines  closed  in. 

It  was  with  a  like  purpose  in  mind  that 

Jesus    prayed    for    the    unification    of    His 

Church,  "  that   the  world    may  believe   that 

thou  hast  sent  me.**     The  sending  of  Christ 

125 


In  the  Upper  Room 

was  for  the  saving  of  the  world  ;  and  the 
sending  of  His  disciples  was  to  the  same  end  ; 
that  is,  to  bring  all  men  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  saving  grace  of  God.  "  As  the  Father 
sent  me  into  the  world,"  He  said,  "  so  I  have 
sent  you."  Never  will  the  world  believe 
in  the  great  purpose  of  Jesus  until  all  His 
disciples,  moved  by  a  common  impulse,  shall 
advance  in  solid  phalanx  to  proclaim  His 
gospel  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

4.  That  they  might  be  Glorified. 

"  Father,  I  will  ^  that  they  also,  whom  thou 
hast  given  me,  be  with  me  where  1  am  ;  that 
they  may  behold  my  glory,  which  thou  has 
given  me."  And  here  we  reach  the  stupen- 
dous climax  of  this  mighty  sacerdotal  prayer. 
The  words  of  Jesus  at  this  point  are  con- 
clusive with  respect  to  two  matters.  On  the 
one  hand,  they  prove  that  Jesus  was  either 
what  He  claimed    to   be,  to  wit,  the  only- 

^  The  rendering  of  these  words  in  the  Revised  Version, 
"  Father,  I  desire,"  is  not  to  my  mind  sufficiently  strong. 
The/o  means  more  than  "  I  desire."     I  cannot  conceive 
how  the  Revisers  could  justify  it. 
126 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

begotten  and  coequal  Son  of  God,  or  else  He 
was  justly  charged  with  blasphemy  against 
God.  For,  observe.  He  does  not  ask  this 
thing  of  the  Father,  but  wills  it !  Out  of  His 
own  authority,  the  exousia  which  was  "  from 
within,"  He  wills  it !  As  the  Eternal  Son, 
He  wills  it !  Think  of  a  mere  man,  though 
he  were  "the  best  of  men,"  looking  up  to 
heaven  and  speaking  in  this  way. 

And  observe  also  His  reference  to  "the 
glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father  before 
the  world  was."  He  claims  not  only  to  have 
been  pre-existent,  but  to  be  a  sempiternal 
sharer  in  the  glory  of  God !  He  elsewhere 
announced  His  purpose  of  returning,  after 
He  should  have  finished  His  redemptive 
work,  to  reassume  "  the  glory  which  he  had 
with  the  Father  before  the  world  was  "  I 

But  His  words  suggest  another  important 
trudi,  to  wit,  that  His  intercessory  prayer  on 
this  occasion  was  but  the  beginning  of  an 
eternal  intercession  in  behalf  of  those  who 
follow  Him.  "He  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  us."  In  that  same  inter- 
view with  His  disciples  in  the  upper  room 
127 


In  the  Upper  Room 

He  said,  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you  ; 
and  if  I  go  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  1 
will  come  again  and  receive  you  unto  myself, 
that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also.'*  He 
is  thus  preparing  us  for  a  prepared  place. 
He  has  entered  upon  His  glory,  and  pro- 
poses that  His  faithful  followers  shall  not 
only  behold,  but  participate  in  it. 

On  one  occasion  His  disciples  caught  a 
glimpse  of  that  glory.  It  was  on  the 
Mount  of  Transfiguration,  where  "the 
fashion  of  his  countenance  was  changed,  and 
his  raiment  became  white  and  dazzling." 
For  a  moment  His  homespun  fluttered  aside 
and  revealed  the  King  ;  but  how,  think  you, 
will  He  appear  when  we  shall  see  Him  as  He 
is  ?  Here  is  something  to  dream  about 
Surely  a  great  surprise  awaits  us. 

How  natural  it  was,  and  how  human, 
that  Jesus  should  offer  this  prayer.  The 
disciples  had  known  Him  in  His  humiliation  ; 
He  meant  that  they  should  also  behold  Him 
in  His  glory.  They  had  seen  Him  clothed 
in  homespun  ;  He  wanted  them  to  see  Him 
arrayed  in  light,  and  dwelling  in  glory  un- 
128 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

approachable.  They  had  seen  Him  in  the 
workshop,  with  chips  and  shavings  about 
His  feet  and  the  implements  of  His  trade  on 
the  bench  before  Him  ;  He  wanted  them  to 
see  Him  in  the  palaces  where  He  had  dwelt 
before  the  world  was.  They  had  seen  Him 
on  His  weary  journeys  followed  by  a  humble 
retinue  of  fishermen  ;  He  wanted  them  to 
see  Him  with  legions  of  angels  and  archangels 
waiting  to  do  His  holy  will.  They  had  seen 
Him  in  the  Judgment  Hall,  scourged  and 
spit  upon,  wearing  the  cast-ofF  purple  of  a 
petty  magistrate,  with  an  impotent  reed  in 
His  hand  ;  He  wanted  them  to  see  Him  sur- 
rounded by  a  great  multitude  that  no  man 
can  number,  ascribing  to  Him,  with  a  voice 
like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  honour,  and 
glory,  and  power,  and  dominion  for  ever 
and  ever.  They  had  seen  Him  lifted  up  in 
the  mortal  anguish  of  the  Cross  ;  He  wanted 
them  to  see  Him  lifted  up  above  all  princi- 
palities and  powers,  as  King  of  kings  and 
Lord  of  lords. 

Nor  was  this  merely  His  desire,  but  His 
imperative    purpose.      "  I    will,"  He   said, 
129 


In  the   Upper  Room 

"that  they  may  be  with  me  where  I 
am  1  "  There  can  be  no  thwarting  His 
will.  We  shall,  therefore,  behold  Him  with 
these  eyes. 

One  thing  more,  and  here  is  a  matter  for 
serious  consideration  :  this  prayer  of  Jesus 
was  only  for  those  who  love  and  follow 
Him.  "  I  pray  not  for  the  world,**  He  said, 
"  but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given  me." 

On  other  occasions  He  did  pray  for  the 
world.  His  advent  was  a  demonstration  of 
His  love  toward  all  the  children  of  men. 
His  life  was  a  long  prayer  for  sinners.  His 
death  was  a  mighty  prayer  for  salvation  to 
the  uttermost.  It  had  been  written  of  Him, 
centuries  before  :  "Ask  of  me,  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance, 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession."  On  the  Cross,  with  His  pierced 
hands  outstretched.  He  offered  that  petition, 
"  Give  me  the  heathen  for  my  inheritance, 
and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  my 
possession !  "  This  was  a  plea  for  all 
humanity  ;  which  in  the  fulness  of  time  shall 
be  answered,  when  the  nations  shall  come 
130 


The  Sacerdotal  Prayer 

flocking  to  Him  as  doves  to  their  windows, 
and  He  shall  see  the  fruit  of  the  travail  of  His 
soul  and  be  satisfied.  Oh  yes,  He  prayed 
for  the  world.  He  prayed  for  all  non- 
believers  to  the  end  of  time  when  He  cried, 
"  Father,  forgive  them  :  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  But  on  this  occasion,  in  the 
upper  room,  His  prayer  was  only  in  behalf  of 
those  who  loved  Him. 

Oh,  the  blessedness  of  being  included  in 
the  prayer  of  Christ !  It  makes  us  strong 
and  patient,  and  hopeful  in  suffering  and 
service,  to  know  that  He  thus  ever  liveth  to 
make  intercession  for  us. 

"Arise,  my  soul,  arise: 

Shake  off  thy  gloomy  fears: 
The  bleeding  Sacrifice 
In  thy  behalf  appears ; 
Before  the  throne  my  Surety  stands. 
My  name  is  written  on  His  hands! 

He  ever  lives  above 

For  me  to  intercede; 
His  all-redeeming  love, 

His  precious  blood  to  plead; 
His  blood  atones  for  all  our  race, 
And  sprinkles  now  the  throne  of  grace. 

^31 


In  the  Upper  Room 

Five  bleeding  wounds  He  bears, 

Received  on  Calvary ; 
They  pour  effectual  prayers, 

They  strongly  plead  for  me. 

*  Forgive  him,   O  forgive,'  they  cry, 

*  Nor  let  that  ransomed  sinner  die ! ' 

The  Father  hears  Him  pray, 

His  dear  anointed  One  ; 
He  cannot  turn  away 

The  presence  of  His  Son ; 
The  Spirit  answers  to  the  blood. 
And  tells  me  I  am  born  of  God  1  " 


132 


IX. 

THE   CLOSING   HYMN. 

(Matthew  xxvi.  30.) 

On  the  night  preceding  the  Passover  the 
Jews  were  accustomed  to  sing  the  Great 
Hallel,  '^  O  give  than\s  unto  the  Lord ;  for 
he  is  good :  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever.  The 
voice  of  rejoicing  and  salvation  is  in  the  taber- 
nacles of  the  righteous :  the  right  hand  of  the 
Lord  doeth  valiantly.  The  stone  which  the 
builders  refused  is  become  the  head  stone  of  the 
corner.  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords  fast 
unto  the  horns  of  the  altar.  O  give  thanks 
unto  the  Lord ;  for  he  is  good :  his  mercy  endureth 
for  ever^ 

The   disciples   probably    sang    this   hymn 
at  the  close  of  their  service  in  the  goodman's 
133 


In  the  Upper  Room 

house  :  and  without  doubt  Jesus  joined  in 
singing  it. 

Why  should  He  not  sing  ?  Though  He 
was  passing  under  the  dark  shadow  of  the 
Cross,  He  foresaw  the  joyous  outcome  beyond 
it.  His  heart  was  in  sympathy  with  all 
things  pure  and  lovely  and  of  good  report. 
He  was  the  happiest  of  men. 

The  town  of  Nazareth  is  overlooked  by 
a  precipitous  hill,  six  hundred  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  No  doubt  He  had  often, 
in  His  boyhood,  climbed  there  to  commune 
with  God.  The  mountain  flowers  were 
about  His  feet ;  and  every  one  of  them  was 
like  a  swinging  censer  of  praise.  All  about 
Him  were  orchards  and  vineyards  and  ver- 
dant pastures ;  every  grass-blade  was  in- 
scribed with  His  Father's  name.  His  heart 
gave  thanks  with  the  leaping  of  the  brooks  ; 
the  birds  sang,  and  He  sang  with  them. 

Why  should  He  not  sing  ?  His  conscience 
was  clear.  He  went  to  His  rest  at  eventide 
with  no  confession  of  sin.  There  was  no 
guile  in  His  heart,  no  guile  on  His  lips. 
For  Him  there  were  no  vain  regrets.  He 
134 


The  Closing  Hymn 

was  now  about  to  die  ;  yet  he  shrank  not, 
murmured  not.  "Lo,  I  come,"  said  He; 
"  in  the  volume  of  the  Book  it  is  written  of 
me,  I  delight  to  do  thy  will !  " 

Why  should  not  Jesus  sing?  He  knew 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and  goodness. 
"For  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  he 
endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame." 
He  watched  the  sun  go  down  in  golden 
glory.  Red  banners  waved ;  the  spear- 
points  of  the  heavenly  host  shone  with 
golden  splendour  as  they  came  forth  march- 
ing to  Armageddon,  the  consummation  of 
all  things.  In  the  prophetic  skies  He  heard 
the  clash  of  arms,  and  the  cry,  "  Babylon  the 
great  is  fallen,  is  fallen  !  "  and  the  rattle  of 
chains  as  the  great  enemy  fell  headlong  into 
the  abyss  ;  then  a  rolling  back  of  the  mighty 
gates  and  the  glad  acclaim  of  welcome,  "  Lift 
up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates  ;  and  be  ye  lift 
up,  ye  everlasting  doors  ;  and  the  King  of 
Glory  shall  come  in  !  "  He  thus  saw  the 
end  from  the  beginning.  He  knew  that 
His  blood  was  destined  to  water  the  world's 
wildernesses  until  they  should  bloom  like 
135 


In  the  Upper  Room 

gardens  of  roses.  He  knew  that,  whatever 
rebuffs  and  reverses  might  occur,  truth  and 
righteousness  were  sure  to  triumph  after  all. 

And  the  disciples  sang  with  Him.  I  seem 
to  hear  the  voices  of  the  two  Sons  of 
Thunder,  deep  and  round,  accustomed  to 
shouting  amid  the  turmoil  of  the  stormy 
lake  ;  and  the  voice  of  Peter,  hoarse  and 
strident,  but  making  a  joyful  noise  unto  the 
Lord ;  and  that  of  Thomas,  timid  and 
tremulous,  as  of  one  not  quite  sure  of 
himself.  While  these  and  the  others  were 
singing,  perhaps  a  watchman  or  some  belated 
Jerusalemite  paused  under  the  window  and 
wondered  who  could  be  making  merry  in 
this  manner  at  dead  of  night. 

Thus  began  the  history  of  the  singing 
Church.  Tacitus  says  that  the  early  Christians 
were  wont  to  rise  at  daybreak  and,  in  re- 
tired places,  sing  to  the  honour  of  Him 
whom  they  worshipped  as  God.  The 
Church  has  come  down  through  all  the 
ages  like  a  carolling  bird  with  the  dew  of 
morning  on  its  wings. 

It  is  meet  and  proper  that  we  should  sing 
136 


The  Closing  Hymn 

in  the  sanctuary.  In  Solomon*s  temple, 
when  the  sons  of  Asaph  raised  the  tune, 
accompanied  by  the  great  orchestra  of  harps 
and  cymbals,  and  followed  by  choirs  shout- 
ing back  from  gallery  to  gallery  in  antiphonal 
service,  the  cloudy  presence  came  forth  from 
behind  the  fine-twined  curtains  and  filled 
the  sacred  place.  Thus  when  we  worship 
in  the  great  congregation  the  doors  of  the 
sanctuary  move  upon  their  hinges  and  He 
enters  whose  presence  brings  fulness  of  life 
and  joy. 

It  is  meet  that  we  should  sing  in  the  dis- 
charge of  duty.  The  carpenter  does  better 
work  when  he  whistles  at  his  bench.  The 
Puritan  girl  in  The  Minister  s  Wooing^ 
humming  the  old  psalm  tunes,  might  well 
make  her  lover  "think  of  heaven  and 
angels."  The  soldiers  of  France,  at  the  foot 
of  St.  Bernard,  tugged  vainly  at  the  great 
guns  until  the  flutes  struck  up  the  Marseil- 
laise. We  lift  our  burdens  the  more  easily, 
meet  our  sorrows  the  more  resignedly,  per- 
form our  tasks  the  more  joyously,  when 
God's  praise  is  ringing  in  our  hearts. 


In  the  Upper  Room 

It  is  written  of  Bunyan's  pilgrim  that  he 
went  singing  all  the  way  from  the  City  of 
Destruction  to  heaven's  gate.  He  sang  as 
he  dragged  himself  out  of  the  Slough  of 
Despond,  as  he  climbed  the  Hill  of  Diffi- 
culty, after  his  fight  with  Apollyon,  past  the 
entrance  of  the  Giant's  Cave,  in  the  Pleasant 
Meadows,  by  the  River  of  Life,  when  he 
escaped  from  Doubting  Castle, as  he  journeyed 
through  the  Delectable  Gardens  of  the  land 
of  Beulah,  and  so  until  he  entered  the 
Celestial  City.  Nor  did  his  singing  end 
there  ;  neither  shall  ours. 

"  Our  songs  of  praise  shall  ne'er  be  past. 
While  life  or  thought  or  being  last, 
Or  immortality  endures." 

Could  we  see  into  heaven,  our  eyes 
dazzled  by  the  effulgence  of  the  glory  which 
gathers  about  Him  who  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  we  should  hear  the  four-and-twenty 
elders  lifting  their  voices  in  the  Great  Hallel ; 
and  the  circle  of  angels  and  archangels,  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  and  thousands 
of  thousands,  swelling  the  anthem,  "O  give 

138 


The  Closing  Hymn 

thanks  unto  the  Lord  ;  for  he  is  good  :  for  his 
mercy  endureth  for  ever  and  ever  "  ;  and  the 
still  greater  multitude  which  no  man  can 
number  of  saints  triumphant  adding  their 
voices  to  the  general  praise,  "  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain,  to  receive  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  blessing  for  ever 
and  ever  ! " 

The  meeting  in  the  goodman*s  house  is 
over.  At  the  Master's  word  the  disciples 
rise  and  follow  Him  down  the  outer  stairway. 
Whither  ?  To  Gethsemane,  the  Judgment 
Hall  and  Calvary.  After  that  they  will  meet 
Him,  with  the  glow  of  triumph  on  His  face, 
at  Olivet ;  where,  as  He  lifts  His  hands  in 
blessing,  the  heavens  will  open  to  receive 
Him.  Then  whither  ?  To  the  glory  which 
He  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world 
was  1 

Presently  one  of  those  disciples  will  pass 

on  by  the  red  path  of  martyrdom  to  rejoin 

Him  ;   then  another  and  another  until  none 

remains   but   the   aged   John,    who   is   also 

139 


In  the  Upper  Room 

destined  to  "  climb  the  steep  ascent  to  heaven 
'mid  peril,  toil  and  pain."  Thus  the  circle  is 
again  complete.     What  a  reunion  ? 

"  So  part  we  sadly  in  the  wilderness 
To  meet  again  in  sweet  Jerusalem." 

They  assemble  no  more  in  the  goodman's 
house,  but  in  the  Father's  house  of  many 
mansions.  Home,  sweet  home !  What 
happy  memories  they  recall  ;  what  vast 
campaigns  they  plan !  For  there  "  his 
servants  do  serve  him."  The  mists  that 
clouded  their  path  have  cleared  away.  They 
see  the  just  proportion  of  things,  as  once 
they  could  not.  They  know  now — as  we 
shall  presently — that  the  earthly  life  is  but 
the  preface  of  an  endless  serial,  time  but  the 
threshold  of  eternity,  and  service  here  a  mere 
apprenticeship  for  unending  usefulness  in  the 
kingdom  of  God. 


140 


APPENDIX 

Some  Additional  Reading 

The  subject  dealt  with  in  the  foregoing 
pages  may  be  fitly  described  as  "The  Most 
Holy  Place  "  of  the  Gospel.  Viewed,  as  it 
must  be,  in  relation  to  the  institution  of 
the  Supper,  it  naturally  appeals  to  the  student 
or  preacher  who  looks  forward,  season  by 
season,  to  a  due  celebration  of  the  feast. 
The  literature  on  the  subject  is  no  doubt 
enormous,  yet  no  one  need  experience  the 
slightest  difficulty  in  singling  out  the  "helps" 
which  he  has  found  most  serviceable  in  his 
own  ministry. 

One  of  these  is  unquestionably  Godet*s 
Commentary  on  St.  John  :  for,  as  Principal 
Edwards  so  justly  remarks  :  "  One  of 
Godet's  excellences  is  clearness.  .  .  .  He  is 
less  penetrating  than  Calvin,  less  felicitous 
than  Bengel,  not  so  learned  as  Meyer,  nor 
so  bold  as  Hofmann  ;  but  for  spiritual  insight 
141 


Appendix 

give  us  GodeL''  To  preachers  and  teachers 
alike  we  still  consider  him  one  of  the  most 
helpful  and  suggestive  of  commentators. 

And  the  same  claim  may  be  advanced 
for  the  sanity  and  lucidity  of  Bruce's  Train- 
ing of  the  Twelve  —  chapters  xxi.-xxvi. 
These  chapters  are  remarkably  luminous  and 
satisfying,  and  may  well  be  included  among 
the  expository  material  connected  with  the 
Upper  Room. 

On  the  devotional  aspects  of  the  subject 
nothing  could  be  more  helpful  than  Love 
Revealedy  by  George  Bo  wen  of  Bombay,  or 
The  Spirit  of  Christy  by  Dr.  Andrew  Murray. 
These  will  help  to  produce  the  right  kind  of 
atmosphere  for  the  study  of  so  sacred  a 
theme,  and  will  always  repay  the  most  prayer- 
ful examination  at  each  communion  season. 

Two  other  studies,  of  more  than  passing 
interest  to  the  practical  expositor,  are  worthy 
of  being  added  to  the  present  list.  We  refer 
to  Stanley*s  account  of  the  "  Samaritan  Pass- 
over" in  The  Jewish  Church  (vol.  i.  pp.  443- 
451),  and  David  Baron's  treatment  of  "The 
Conclusion  of  the  Hallel "  in  T'he  Ancient 
142 


Appendix 

Scriptures  and  the  Modern  Jew  (pp.  99-122). 
These  help  to  infuse  something  of  the  historic 
sense,  apart  from  which  all  devotional  or 
even  exegetical  study  is  in  large  measure 
inadequate.  Expository  preaching  is  de- 
pendent on  all  the  three.  Historical  im- 
agination, spiritual  intuition,  and  exegetical 
fidelity  and  skill  are  all  needed  for  a  due 
appreciation  of  the  text. 

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  following 
are  strongly  recommended  :  (i)  The  Life 
and  Writings  of  St,  John^  by  Dr.  James 
M.  Macdonald ;  particularly  chapters  xii. 
and  xiii.  ;  (2)  Commentary  on  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John,  chapters  xiii.-xvii..  Dr.  H.  R. 
Reynolds  and  Dr.  T.  Croskey  ;  (3)  Eight 
Sermons  on  the  Upper  Room  by  Dr. 
Alexander  Maclaren,  in  a  volume  entitled 
Last  Sheaves  ;  (4)  Bishop  Ryle's  Expository 
Thoughts  on  the  Gospel  of  John^  volume 
iii. ;  (5)  Studies  in  the  Gospels,  chapter 
on  "The  Vine  and  its  Branches,"  by 
Archbishop  Trench  ;  (6)  a  volume  of  Ad- 
dresses  on  John,  published  by  the  St.  John 
Conference  Committee,  Providence,  R.I., 
143 


Appendix 

1906.  Many  of  the  papers  in  this  last 
volume  are  invaluable  to  the  preacher,  parti- 
cularly those  by  E.  W.  Blake,  Dr.  Samuel 
Hart,  Rev.  Rockwell  Potter,  Dr.  A.  W. 
Anthony,  Dr.  Henry  C.  Sheldon,  Rev. 
Robert  A.  Ashworth,  Dr.  John  D.  Pickles, 
Dr.  Henry  D.  Fowler,  Dr.  Henry  S.  Nash, 
Bishop  Huntington  of  New  York,  and  Dr. 
Horace  W.  Tilden. 

J.  A. 


144 


INDEX 


A.  SCRIPTURE  PASSAGES 


PAGE 

PAGB 

Ex.  xix.  1-8 . 

II 

I  Cor.  V.  7    . 

.          13 

Matt,  xviii.  1-4 

27 

„      vi.  20 

.          13 

„     xxvi.  30 

133 

Gal.  vi.  2.     . 

.      34 

Mark  xiv.  12-16 

I 

Col.  ii.  14     . 

21 

„     xiv.  17 

15 

Phil.  ii.  5  ff.  . 

35,58 

Luke  xxii.  14-18 

9 

„    iii.  14  . 

.       29 

,,    xxii.  19-20 

12 

I  Tim.  vi.  10 

•      39 

John  xxi.  15-17 

46 

I  Pet.  i.  18   . 

.       13 

Acts  ii.  9 

20 

2  Pet.  i.  5     . 

•      51 

B,  SUE 

JECTS 

Ambition,  29. 

Humility,  8,  32. 

Avarice,  38. 

Judgment,  98. 

Bodily  presence,  weak,  < 

39. 

Kenosis,  58,  128. 

Christianity,  counterfeit, 

24. 

Love,  brotherly,  8( 

3. 

Church,  founding  of  the 

16. 

Loyalty,  ii8. 

Courage,  50. 

Paraclete,  64,  ^T, 

lOI. 

Death,  84. 

Passover,  10. 

Discipline,  77. 

Prayer,  56,  78,  115. 

Fatherhood  of  God,  54. 

Repentance,  42. 

"  Filioque,"  63. 

Revivals,  61. 

Fishers  of  men,  4. 

Righteousness,  95. 

Fruit-bearing,  76,  83. 

Ritual,  20. 

Greatness,  true,  31. 

Sanctification,  120 

Home,  Church  in  the,  i 

7. 

Scriptures,  the,  12. 

1. 

M 

\h 

Index 


Servtre  est  rg^nare,  32. 

Sin,  93. 

Stewardship,  6. 
Supper,  the  Lord's,  13. 


Things  that  abide,  25. 

Trinity,  the,  65. 

Unity  in  diversity,  22,  124. 


C.  QUOTATIONS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


American  Civil  War,  124. 
Apollodorus,  8$. 
Archimedes,  88. 
Coxe,  A.  C,  25. 
Domine  quo  Vadts,  47. 
Herbert,  7. 
Hood,  39. 
Judas-tree,  the,  38. 
Judson,  Adoniram,  72 
Karens,  the,  72. 
Lycurgus,  89. 
Marseillaise,  the,  137, 


Milton,  33. 

Plato,  96. 

Pollok,  24. 

Pope,  71. 

Shakespeare,  32. 

Staupitz,  43. 

Stigmata,  the,  107, 

Tacitus,  136. 

Truce  of  God,  113. 

William  the  Conqueror,  iii. 

Wooing f  The  Minister' s,  137. 


THE 

SHORT  COURSE  SERIES 

EDITED  BY 
Rev.  JOHN  ADAMS,  B.D. 


This  Series  is  designed  to  encourage  a  healthy  reaction  in 
the  direction  of  expository  preaching.  Leading  expositors  in 
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By  Prof.  J.  E.  McFadyen,  D.D.,  U.  F.  C.  College, 

Glasgow. 

THE  BEATITUDES. 

By  Rev.  Robert  H.  Fisher,  D.D.,  Edinburgh. 

THE  LENTEN  PSALMS. 

By  the  Editor. 

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By  Prof.  James  Stalker,  D.D.,  Aberdeen. 

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THE  MAN  AMONG  THE  MYRTLES:  A  Study  in 
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By  Principal  W.  B.  Selbie,  D.D.,  Mansfield  College, 
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By  Rev.  Newell  D wight  Hillis,  D.D.,  Brooklyn. 

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THE  PROPHECY  OF  MICAH. 

By  Principal  A.  J.  Tait,  M.A.,  Ridley  Hall,  Cambridge. 

THE  EXPOSITORY  VALUE  OF  THE  REVISED 
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By  Prof.  G.  Milligan,  D.D.,  University  of  Glasgow. 

A  PREFACE  TO  THE  GOSPEL:  An  Exposition  of 
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THE  SON  OF  MAN. 

By  Prof.  Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.,  Chicago. 

READINGS  IN  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  LUKE. 

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IN  THE  UPPER  ROOM. 

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The  Follozving  Other  Volumes  are  in 
Preparation. 

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